Between the candle and the wall!
by betweenthecandle
Summary: Harry potter btvs crossover. Xander as been rejected again, and this time he decides to leave the Soobies for good. There is only one place he can go, Hogwarts School.It time to become whole and to see his biological father.Slash, don't like it,don't read
1. Chapter 1

Pairing: Xander/Spike, Severus, Harry, probable other pairing

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Please i really want to know what you think!

Summary: Xander as been rejected again, and this time he decides to leave the Soobies for good. There is only one place he can go, Hogwarts School. It time to become whole and to see his biological father.

A special thanks to my wonderful beta Hannah, James and Cala,Who have the eyes for the details.

* * *

Prologue: no more!

* * *

/Rejected again! 

It's always the same.

Your useless Xander!

Always getting hurt!

I'm tired, I don't want to save your ass again, Xander!

Go fetch the donuts, Xander!

Oh, sorry we forgot to tell you about the last meeting!

Whelp, droopy, pet, donut-boy, zeppo……………

That's all i am to them!

They look at me and don't really see me anymore.

It's too much to take; i've always been there, the joker one, the comforting one, the Xander-shaped friend, the one you can always count on.

They always cry and complain about their losses, but what about mine?

I've given Buffy everything. My friendship, my trust, my love, my devotion, every damn spare moment of my time since I was fifteen!

Even Anya's life was given to her goddamned cause.

Now, though, she looks at me and I can see her complete disgust.

I can't take it anymore, no more mister nice guy, no more Scooby, i pack my things and i'm gone. NO MORE/

Xander had been in that state of mind since the last meeting with the Scooby and the fang gang in the Hyperion hall. Sunnyhell had been a big hole in the ground for three weeks now. It was time for him to go, time to change. Everything was packed; he just had to finish setting up a fire in his fireplace. Xander took a leather pouch from the bed side table, stepped into the fire with his baggage, threw a little bit of powder, which had been in the pouch, into the fire. And shouted, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Severus Snape's dungeon!" and vanished. Only a white letter stayed behind, lying on the bed, when Dawn came to see him. Two days later.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter one: when a slytherin comes home.

* * *

Snape dungeon

Severus Snape was grading first year papers on the uses of the asphodel powder, and thinking of Potter's latest class behaviour, when a bang came from his fireplace. He turned is head, ready to hex who ever had decided to disturb his peace.

"Who give you the ...Alexander!"

"Hey, Dad."

Severus took several quick steps and engulfed Xander in a big hug.

"What are you doing here? You were supposed to be with your mother in Sunnydale, it's to dangerous for you here!"

Xander just smile and hugged his dad back, happy for the first time in many years.

"There is no more Sunnydale. The hell-mouth is closed forever. I don't know where Mom and Tony Harris are, I haven't seen either of them for the last three years, now. I hope I never see them again. I know it's dangerous to be here with you, but I have nowhere else to go. Besides, I have fought along with the slayer for the last seven years, with a spell binding my magic. The only magical item, I've managed to save, is the floo powder and that's only because it was in my pocket when mom and Tony burned everything else"

Severus was taken aback by the wave of words, and looked at is son for the first time. He was too thin, he looked tired and sad, and definitely in need of his father. At that moment, Xander took a step into the light and Severus could see the patch on his eye, for the first time.

"Your eye Lex, what happened to your beautiful eye?"

There was a big silence, and a tear appeared on Xander cheek as he put his face in the crook of his real father's neck. Instinctively, Severus' hand came up to brush back his son's hair. Then, the meaning of Xander's words sank into his comprehension.

"BIND YOUR MAGIC! WHO BOUND YOUR MAGIC LEX?"

"Mom did, Tony told her that I was a freak, they drugged me in the night, after I'd come back from seeing you the last time and made a warlock bind my magic, obliviated my memories of you and who I was. After that she burned all the things you gave me."

"AAAAAARRRRRGG! She did………… I'm going to kill her, I swear it, nobody messes with the Snapes. Not even her! "

"So, can I stay?"

"Of course you can! We'll get your things out of the fireplace, and go see Albus to arrange everything with him. How have you been doing in potions?"

"Pretty good, but I've gotten rusty over the last few years. I'll need some training to be at my best again. After all with a potions master for father, it would be a shame if I wasn't the best. Next to you of course. Why?"

"Because, I think I could use an assistant to teach the first and second years, and to help me in my personal projects or even the one for the Order. Think you can do it?"

Xander just looked at him and grinned madly.

"I'd love to, Daddy!"

"Lex, just don't daddy me in public, or you're going to regret it!" said Snape with the beginnings of a smile," now let's go see Albus, if he agrees, then we have four weeks before the beginning of the term, to get you prepared to teach."

* * *

Dumbledore's office

Dumbeldore was reading a very old' book, while drinking a cup of tea and chewing on some lemon drops, when a knock at his door sounded through the room and distracted him from his late night reading. Very unusual at this time of the night. It couldn't be Harry since it was summer break and he was with the Dursleys for the next four weeks, Minerva was visiting some friends in Dublin, and the other teachers usually waited until morning. That left him with only the one possibility of Severus! That usually meant Death eaters meeting and bad news in general.

"Come in, my boy!"

/yes, it's Severus./

"What can I do for you, is anything wrong? Did he call you, are you all right?"

While he spoke, Dumbeldore's eyes slid over every inch of Severus Snape's body, trying to find some evidence that he had been recently exposed to the cruciatus curse as it happened far to often. Like whenever the man was called by the Dark Lord. A light chuckle, just behind Severus attracted his attention. It was a boy. A dark haired boy, no, young man with only one deep chocolate brown eye and a big grin on his face and the most horribly purple hawaïan muggle shirt he had ever seen in his whole life.

During the Dumbeldore's assessment, Xander looked the headmaster over and found it very amusing to see his father, the great head of Slytherin, being inspected and mothered by this very old man.

/Uh oh! The dear old man seems to like dad a little to much, maybe a step-dad? NAAAA/ and with that thought he began to chuckle, trying to be discreet to avoid his father's wrath.

"Daddy? I think mommy wants to know if you've been playing naughty with your little Deatheater friends, and if your big bad teacher, the lovely Voldy, had to punish you or maybe if you scratched your knee on the way here………?" After that last word he choked and couldn't hold back the laugh that had been building up as he followed his train of thought out loud.

Severus just looks at him and grimaced slightly at his son's antics.

"Everything is fine, Albus, I wasn't called tonight, I just happened to have a surprise visit. And when he has finished laughing at us, I will introduce you to my son, Alexander, who happens to be the living reincarnation of bozo the clown. … On a bad day." he said with fondness.

"Hey, I resent that, I'm supposed to be funny man!" Xander protested cheerfully in retaliation to the jibe, then his expression hardened as he muttered bitterly, " Well, that's what they all think of me, the useless funny zeppo guy, Xander."

Severus just looked at him, eyes full of love for his beautiful son and he began to feel hatred for the ones who hurt him so much.

"No, your not Alexander, you're a Snape, a wizard and a handsome, courageous and intelligent man, who happenes to be my only son. I'm proud of you, but we're going to have a little talk about your lack of self-esteem. For now, Lex, meet Albus Dumbledor, Hogwarts headmaster. Albus, meet Alexander Lavelle Snape, my son."

Dumbeldore watched the exchange between the two men, with interest and a twinkle in his eyes. /A son! Severus always surprises me. Who'd have thought that the irritable potions master would have a son? And one that I didn't even know about! I can see the similarities in their features, but Lex seems so much more carefree than is father./

"Well gentlemen, pull up a seat, have a cup of tea, some lemon drops. Alexander nice to meet you, but I must say that you are a complete surprise. I never knew that you had a son Severus."

Xander just tilted his head a little bit in the headmaster direction. Something seemed extremely off about the old man. Disturbing even. Like the guy was thinking one thing and saying another, to please the person he was talking to. Xander glanced over and made brief eye contact with his father, who was hiding the beginnings of a sarcastic smile.

"It's a long story, Albus! Maybe, I'll tell you one day, who knows?" Severus muttered the last words under his breath. The two men sat down in the seats directly across from Albus. "Lex is here at Hogwarts, because he is homeless and I have decided to take him on as my apprentice. With your permission, he will begin working with the first and second years by himself at the start of term and he would assist with all other years. Oh, yes. He's proficient enough to help with my… special… project."

A silence took place in the room, while Albus was thinking of the advantages to having a second potions teacher. At the same time, Fawkes flew in the room and put the tattered sorting hat on Xander's head. A stunned Albus was very disturbed by the strange antics of the phoenix, but he said nothing and just watched, waiting to see what was going to happen.

For Xander, it was a very strange experience. The moment the hat touched is head, he heard a voice speak to him.

/AH AH, little one. It was time you came home my little Slytherin. You are going to stay, the castle needs his little snake, it has been longing for you. It has waited all these years for you to be ready, little snake. You have a great destiny, but you must learn all it is in the light and all it is in the darkness. You can't be a white or a dark wizard, little snake. You must live between the candle and the wall, you must swim in the shade of grey, on the edge of shadows. The two sides are fighting, trying to destroy each other! Neither can win, the status quo must be, or they are going to upset the balance of the magical world./

Xander had been listening to the cryptic speech with great attention, and now had some questions to ask.

/ So, you're saying that there's is no right without wrong, no love without hate, no happiness without sadness. It makes sense, what you want is a referee, but why me? Like I said before, i'm the zeppo, the one who even his friends don't want anymore because he's useless/

/you're not useless, little snake! You were just not whole. But you fight! Always! You had nothing and you still fought, that is what makes you special, little snake. You make some difficult choices, you've tasted the two faces of the power and you have a representative figure of each one of them inside you./

/The hyena and the soldier! The two spirits who possessed me. /

/yes, but to be totally whole, you must stop fighting them, you must embrace them and welcome what they are. Who they are./

/If I do that, the hyena will take control, she's so much more powerful than me./

/she was, but the binding that was on your magical power is gone now. Besides, she had always wanted only one thing, and it's not to take control, it's for you to.../

/protect the pack/

/yes, and now that your powers are active, she doesn't need to possess your body, she can just fuse with your soul and give you her strength /

/Ok, I can accept her and welcome her with those conditions./ and in the same time the hyena and all she was became one with him./What of the soldier/

/For him it's already almost done, you must both make peace and accept the fact that the two of you are not perfect, and that you can't save everybody. Everybody's fate is not in your hands./

/It's difficult, we have tried so much to be there, we are afraid to lose another one that we love. Nobody knows, but Jesse was our mate, and we killed him. We...I know that it was the demon not the soul, but it hurt so much! After that .../

/If you know all about that, you just have to accept it and forgive yourself./

Xander was disturbed by the last words of the hat; Jesse his love, if he had not heard the slayer that afternoon in the library, would he have been killed? He knew he could never figure that out. You couldn't predict the past. It was time to forgive himself and say goodbye to the one whom possessed a part of his heart forever, his first love, his Jesse.

/I love you Jesse, you'll be in my heart until I can be with you again, watch over me sweetie, I'm going to make you very proud. At least, I'll try, I promise/

/Alexander... little snake/

A small smile shone on Xander lips and tears ran down his face.

/ I forgive myself, and I forgive soldier for all the lives we have not saved./ The same sensation came to Xander settling in his chest for the second time, and a feeling of peace passed over him./now, that I'm whole, what do I do/

/you learn, like I said, you begin you mission as a grey wizard. You find the warrior of light and the warrior of darkness. You guide them to the love they will share with each other, make them become one, you create the soul bond between them, and make sure that it is consummated. Then, you become they're guide in the fight against Voldemort./

/you said the darkness was not to be destroyed, though./

/Voldemort is not the darkness, nor is Dumbledore the light. The dark lord is chaos and the headmaster is perfect order. The second is the beginning of all, when the first is the end of all. They are your counterparts. Together, they are one and balanced, separated they become the destruction of the magical world. But you have an advantage little snake, they doesn't now what or who they truly are./

/What you are implying, is that Albus Dumbledore and Tom Riddle were meant to be together, but because they never chose to became a couple, I need to clear the mess now/

/yes, if in there time they had choose to became a couple as you said, they would have been a blessing for this world, because the merge of their two powers would have made them grey and balanced. But some one made sure that Albus saw the darkness who was in young Tom, before he was ready to accept it, and embrace the difference between them. After that, when Tom made a move, and tried to show his love for him, before living the school definitely, Albus rejected him badly. And this last act put the final touch to the birth of lord Voldemort. Without that union the light and the darkness were lost, and each decided to call a new champion. But this time they made an agreement and a third entity, who is named the neutral, because he never choose a side, was called and asked for help. So the neutral, created his champion to guide the two other warriors in their task,

and in a sense clear the mess, yes./

/Ooooooooook! So, now that I know the entire story, how do I became the guide of the warriors without even knowing where my own path goes/

/Good question, little snake! Each founder of the four houses are now going to give you a special gift to help you/

At that moment four voices begin to speak to him.

/We are the four,

We are the founders.

From the bright sunlight

to the dark shadow.

Gifts to do

What is right

Are now given to you.

From Griffindor,

the living blade, Eline,

to become your master

and teach you to fight.

From Ravenclaw,

the knowledge,

to find the path

between mistake or misjudge.

From Hufflepuff,

The vision,

so you can see

and guide the warriors destiny.

From Slytherin,

who leave in your heart

The way, language and skin of the snake,

so you can go, hear, and see

what no one else can

and the warriors protect.

You are the balance.

You are between the candle and the wall.

The shadow that remains

You are GREY/

For a moment then Xander could see four rays of coloured light come to him and he could feel them trace patterns on his skin. He knew that for this moment and until he died there would be tattoos on his back and symbols on his wrists, but he didn't care, now he had something to do.

Now he had a destiny.

/it is done, little snake. Be prepared and look for the warriors./

/I'll do it! I will not fail. I've learned from my past mistakes, but because I'm only human, I'm sure I'll make some new one in the future. Ironic isn't it/

/Good little snake, I'll let you go now, do not speak of what you are, do not shine in the light or hide in the darkness, live in the light shadow. As you are meant to./

/I'll be careful, and do what must be done for the good of all./

/One last piece of advice, little snake. Never trust the one who shines to brightly in the light, and don't condemned the one who seems to live in the darkness, because sometime that one doesn't have a choice, but his help can be priceless. Oh, I know that you don't understand the meaning of that advice for the moment, but you will when the time is right, just remember./

/thank you! May I speak with you again, sometime/

/When you need me I'll be here, good bye little snake./

And Xander came back to the reality. His talk with the hat been long for him, but only a few minutes had passed in the room. Severus and Albus were observing him in a perfect silence, when the hat spoke, "Slytherin, potions apprentice!"

"It seems my dear Severus, that your wish has been granted!"

"Yes, so it seems headmaster," said Severus Snape with a calm tone and a spark of pride shinning in his eyes.

So began, the four most difficult weeks of Alexander "Lex" Lavelle Snape's life. Because, what ever they say your parent is always the most demanding teacher, and his father was Severus Snape!

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: What's a Scooby gang without a heart?

* * *

Hyperion, two day's after Xander's departure.

Dawn was preoccupied, it had been two day's since she'd last seen Xander. Her sister had been making her best impersonation of the queen self-centred bitch, which she really was. Dawn hated her, when she did that kind of thing, and poor Xander always took it like a man and said nothing. But this time no one stood beside him, Buffy had torn into his flesh, like a pound of butter. At that moment something had died in Xander's eye, and Dawn had hugged him. She really had tried to comfort him; he had caressed her hair and given her a sweet smile, before he told her that he needed some time alone. Now she wanted to see him, make sure that he was alright, he had been her father figure for the last seven years, more of a father than her own. Yeah, everybody thinks that she had a crush on him, and that Giles was the father, she never really had. Giles was there for the others, but not, so much, for her. For her it was Xander, the one who smiled at her, the one who called her Dawn-patrol or Dawnster, who joked, played, made sure that she was ok and that she was included in the Scooby meetings. He was the one who took her and Buffy in hand when Joyce died, going to her school, making sure to check with her friend's parents, before agreeing to a sleep-over, paying their bills, making sure that Spike had the best blood because Dawn was afraid that he would starve otherwise. Yes he had done that for them, and more, and more, but no one exept her, and maybe Spike, remembered that. She was the only one who knew, that sometime along the way, he began to stop buying personal stuff for himself, so he could give them more money or that he sold his comics collection so that Buffy could stop working, to be the slayer. Anya had died in the last fight and no one, beside her, had asked how he was feeling. He had made sure that they arrived in one peace at the Hyperion, and even had taken care of the packing before the battle, making sure to take Joyce's most precious items, so they could have something to remember her by. What ever they say, and Buffy be damned, Xander was the heart of the Scooby gang. She was going to make sure that everyone knew it! In that spirit, she came to knock at his door. After several minutes of silence, she opened it and went inside, all of Xander's things were gone! Except for a creamy letter on the bed. With tears in her eyes she took it and saw that it had her name on it. After crying her tears and setting herself on the bed she opened it and found a creamy, white page and some powder. She took the letter and began to read.

My sweet Dawnster,

The time has come for me to go, I can't stay anymore sweetie.

I know that you never saw me as the zeppo, every time I look

In your eyes, I see myself as your knight in shining armour

And that's the most beautiful gift I ever received. Sometime

Along the road last year, I began to consider you almost

Like, don't laugh, my daughter, my little one. The one I need

To protect from the big badies, I love you Dawnie. Know

that I'm going somewhere I'm wanted and where I can be useful.

The last battle destructed some binding that was on my

memories, I pay with my eye the price of my future happiness.

I've another father my Dawnster and he's someone you'll

like very much, he is a bit nasty, and he snarls almost as much as

Spike does. I've not seen him for the last seven and a half years, but

I know that he loves me very much. He's a wizard, sweet, and

A dark one, he lives in a school for wizards, born wizards, like

me. Yes, I'm a wizard. That's the other thing that the last battle

released, the binding of my magical power. I need to go now

but I left you a gift, there is some powder in the letter's envelope

if you ever need me, go inside the fireplace, throw the powder

at your feet and say "Hogwart's school, Slytherin tower

, Alexander Snape's room" and you'll be with me instantly. But

make sure to speak very clearly or you'll be sent Merlin knows

where. I'll wait to see you again. Once Angelus called me Buffy's

white knight, but I'm not. I'm yours and only your knight.

Take care my little one, your almost father who loves you.

Oh, and Dawnie, tell the big bad, that he better take care of

You or I'll come back and stake him. Tell him your dad has

Decided that he's your new official godfather and zookeeper.

Love you.

Alexander Lavelle Snape

As she read the last words, all of Dawn's tears broke free, and she began to sob, crushing the letter to her heart.

It was in this state, that Spike found her several hours later. He had been on the way to his room, which was next to Xander's, when he heard the broken cry of his niblet. A quick look around, make evident that the whelp was gone for good as were all his things, and for the almost complete lack of scent, he had been gone for sometime now. He went to the bed and gently collected Dawn in his arms.

"Shh, shh, hush pet! What happened?"

She looked at him and sobbed harder as he wiped away her tears.

"He's gone, Spike! She………she…… my bitch of a sister made him go away.

He's not coming back this time, he wrote me a letter to say good by.

He said that he considered me his daughter, and that he'll always be there for me. Said that if I need help I can go to him, and… and that you are to take care of me or he'll come and stake you." She chuckled a little in the middle of another sob and said. "make you my godfather and zookeeper!". After that she hugged Spike's torso and began to cry again until she fall asleep.

As he held her close, Spike got lost deep in his thoughts.

/The whelp made me, the big bad, the perioxide menace, blondie, fangless, me, Dawn's official protector. Of course, I know that he paid for my blood, and made sure that I had all I needed, he even took me in. Let me room with him last year. But to know that he trusts me that bloody much, that's fuckin' unbelievable. Hell, that's the best bleedin' news of the year, Droopy don't ever want to see any of his so called friends, but he trusts me, a vamp who tried to kill him more than once, with a girl he claimed as his daughter. That's fucking bloody frightening, world's comin' to an end……… again……… pretty soon." With that Spike began to chuckle lightly /I'll take good care of the niblet, whelp, I swear it. Godfather, wait till the slayer hears that, it's gonna' be priceless./ and on this last thought he cuddled up to Dawn, put the comforter on them and drifted into the land of dreams, where slayer are Happy meal on legs, blood came with Wheatabix, and Timmy finally got forgotten in the well by that Lassie dog.

* * *

The lobby, two weeks later

/They've been gone almost all night now. It's the first time Spike's not at my side since he found me in Xander's room. I think he took the fact that Xan made him my honorary godfather literally. He fights with Buffy practicly every night now! We haven't been pleased that, after two weeks, nobody has noticed that he's missing. Last night, we were in research mode, when Buffy just ordered Xander, to go fetch some coffee and donuts. After that every single one of them just said what they wanted. They waited ten good minutes before Spike said that he wasn't in the hotel. Buff exploded about how Xan was only useful for that simple task and that if he wasn't even there for that, then what was the purpose for him to come to the meetings. Spike and I, just look at her with incredulity, before he said that there was no reason and that's why Xan had left two weeks ago, with no intention of returning. They were stunned when we made an escape to our rooms./ Dawn snuggled a little bit more into the new couch trying to feel more at ease, but she continued to have this strange feeling that something wasn't quite right. /Tonight has been weird and they were too quiet when they left to fight the last monster that Cordy saw in her vision. Spike took me aside to remind me to be careful; I have the impression that he doesn't want to leave me alone. I don't feel so good in this deserted hotel, anyway. It's like there's some ghost waiting in the dark. It's just so …………… SPIKE/ She saw the lobby's great doors open violently by a bloody vampire, who looked nearly dead and for an undead vampire that's pretty ghastly.

"Spike what happened? Where are the others?"

"Pet!" Spike said with difficulty. "She's crazy pet, the bloody slayer's gone loony! We need to run, go pack, they're gonna' be here soon."

"Why do we need to go?" said Dawn afraid, when they where in Spike's room, he just opened a leather bag and threw everything he owned inside, before going into Dawn's room to do the same.

"I tell you, she gone nuts. The nest was on Cedar avenue, in that old Victorian building, the one with the statues who looked like crazy goblin on crack. So we parked the cars, and the watcher leaded us inside, we found them in the basement. The fight was really quick, since we took them by surprise. There was fifty vamps and tree fyral demons inside. Half of the vamps were dust, before they even realised that they were under attack It was a blood bath pet! A bloody marvellous blood bath. After that, we took the fyrals with the poof and the slayer, and let the others take care of the vamps. I killed two of them, after peaches went down. Ten minutes later the demons were all dead or dust, the watcher made us look in all the rooms in case there was something else," he breath deeply, wiped the blood out of his eyes and listened carefully to know if they were still alone in the hotel, before continuing to talk. "I was in the living room, opening some drawer, when she came for the kill…………"

"She's the one, who put you in that state?"

"Yeah, that's why I tell you, that she's became fuckin' bloody NUTS. She smashed me in a wall, and began to hit, screaming that I'm a fucking blood-sucker, that she's never gonna let me kidnap you, that even if you're useless, you're her sister. And she kept hitting me, and hit me more, she took her stake in her right hand and make the first move to dust me, when the witch called for some help. She let me on the floor telling me to wait, that she had not finished with my ass, that I'm dust as soon as she has finished with the witch's problem. After she left, I've managed to go outside and I put myself in Angel's car, after sabotaging the watcher's citroën. I drove like a mad man to came here and fetch you, because I don't know if she'll attack you, but I won't take any risks with your life, the whelp'll never forgive me if something happened to you. So lets go niblet, faster."

"But why did she try to kill you after all this time?"

"I don't know pet, and truly I really don't care." Suddenly, he froze. "We need to go pet, they're here."

"In the fireplace!"

"What? The fireplace? We're trying to leave Bit. Not get burnt to a crisp."

"We're going to Xander, put the bags and yourself inside the fireplace, I'll explain later" she said with a confidant but urgent voice. She stood right beside him and drew out an envelope from her pocket. She opened it, took the powder that was inside, said "Hogwart's school, Slytherin tower, Alexandre Snape's room!" and threw the powder at their feet.

When Buffy and the others came in the room, they found it empty. They looked everywhere, before finding themselves standing clueless in the lobby.

"Did you find anything?" asked Buffy.

The general answer was a big 'NO!' They settled all in the different couches, Giles was the first to speak.

"Why did you try to kill him Buffy?"

"You tried to do what" a shocked Angel jumped up, but a look from Giles made him stop before he got far from the couch.

"I……………I…………I, just before we went out, Cordy took me away from you, to tell me she'd seen Spike kidnapped Dawn in her last vision, I just saw red and tried to slay the menace he is for Dawn's safety." she said finally.

Giles looked at her, feeling more and more tired every moment that passed.

"And by doing that, you made the vision come true."

At that moment, Willow spoke for the first time.

"Spike would never put Dawn in danger, and you know that! He loves her, she's his niblet. I think, he took her with him tonight to make sure that you don't hurt her. If I'm right, they might try to go to Xan, to be safe. I was going to see Dawn last night; I wanted to know about Xan. I was outside her room, when I heard them, they were talking. Spike was telling her that Xander was right, by making him her protector, and she said that if we kept acting like we were, they were better off going to live with him anyway. Spike just agreed, after that, he must have heard me because they stopped talking and went to sleep."

"So we know where they're going, if we find Xander, we find them! It's simple." Said Giles.

"Exactly"

"Let's go then!" finished Angel.

"Umm… where's Xander anyway?" Said Fred with a little girl kind of voice, after they had, letting her alone in the lobby.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: Snape and son Vs shopping!

* * *

Xander's new bedroom, the day after.

Xander woke up the next morning with no notion of where he was. Yeah, the bed was comfy, but it took him some time to remember the preceding day. They had talked with the headmaster long into the night. He had wanted to know why his dad never mentioned about him, or who is mom was, why Lex had come to see his dad after all this time, and more. Dad had answered all the questions, but had left a lot out and had hidden some of the information, like the binding of his magic or the fact that Lex had lived on the hellmouth all his life. While they were talking, Dumbledore had called a house elf and asked him to rearrange Professor Snape's personal quarters and add a second bedroom and office for Lex. After that, the two of them had made plans to prepare Lex's introduction into the magical world and Hogwart's school, when he had fallen asleep on the couch. He didn't remember waking up or going to bed, so Dad must have tucked him in. He was always the one who had put him to bed, with a bedtime story, when he was really young. That was before Mom left with Tony, and Dad became a Death Eater, and a spy for the ministry of magic. Dad had explained to him, that because Mom never had magic, the bad guy's king wanted to kill them and that was why Lex needed to go leave with Mom. It had been so hard to let Daddy alone, but he had been brave for daddy and smiled to him, when he just wanted to cry. Mom had not been pleased to be stuck with him, and on the second night the strange man had come into Lex's new home, he had spoken a strange language and made Lex forget all about Daddy. When Xander thought about the spell, it made him incredibly angry. That spell had been a real work of art! When Xander was in Sunnydale, he had no souvenir or memories of magic, but after Voldemort's first death, when Dad had forced Mom to send him to Snape manor every holiday, the strange man had came in Lex's home for the second time and put an additional spell on him. So, Xander had his memories back for the time he was in the magical world, but another binding made him unable to speak badly of Sunnydale. Or to tell Dad the truth about how he lived there. At each return, Mom had opened his baggage and burned everything that was touched by magic, to make sure that there was no possibility of breaking inadvertently the spell that was reset every time he came back. Xan……… or maybe it was time he thought of himself has Lex once again, was deep in his tough, when the door opened silently, and an unusual sight walked in. It was his father and he was… smiling.

Severus took the time to take a good look at his son and a thought pop came to him. /It has been, so long since the last time we lived together, it's going to be so much more agreeable to live here. He's awake for only fifteen minute and the first smile of the day is on his lips. But he's much to thin, it's time, some one takes care of him and makes him happy, and bloody hell it's going to be me. /

Before he used his best "Slytherin are the winners of the Quidditch Cup" voice and said,……………

"Good morning, rise and shine sleepy head!"

"Grumpf, Dad! Let me sleep some more pleeeeeease." Lex said giving his most powerful puppy dog eye to his father.

"Get out of that bed young man, that trick never worked with me and you know it. Besides we have a ton of things to do, first…… breakfast," as the last word passed his lips, Lex just jumped out of bed to go in the bathroom, and a little laugh escaped from Severus. " Second, Diagon Alley for some decent clothes, robes and supplies, a new wand, and maybe some other things. Third, I need to find a book on a potion to re-grow your eye. After that, an ice cream seemed like a good idea, then we can come back to make the potion so you can take it a.s.a.p. We need to discuss your lesson schedule also. We have been asked to attend diner with the other teachers tonight, and finally you and me are going to fall asleep on the couch, after I listen to your stories about your adventures with the slayer and how you lost your eye exactly."

"Oh yes, and maybe, if there's some time left, we can accomplish the great feats of Hercules! What were they now? Something about Augias's stables and a wild boar, what do you think Daddy?" said Lex with a patented Snape smirk, and a face glowing with happiness.

" Go wash, you brat and don't call me daddy." At that Snape just looked on with fondness to his precious and maybe a little bit…okay, a lot… loony son, who was heading out of the bathroom.

* * *

Diagon alley, several hours later.

Xander was exhausted, his feet were aching and he desperately wanted to have something cold to drink and a chair to rest on. They had begun the day with a visit to Madame Malkin's for some new robes. His dad had claimed the only armchair in the shop and had immediately engaged in a discussion with the little witch about the right cut, his new robes needed to fit him properly after all. After more than a half hour of bantering they finally came to an agreement. The robes would be a compromise between teaching and battle robes. That means that they needed to have a straight cut without the usual fold, to be open on the front with only a silver metal snake as fastener just beside the Mao collar, to be long enough to raze the floor, with long sleeves that became larger at wrist level. All of that in a deep black tissue that seemed to absorb all the light without refracting it. Only a silver snake motif would be put on the collar, to match the fastener one. When all the arrangements and measurements had been made another forty minutes later, they left and Dad dragged him into another shop to buy the rest of his new wardrobe because to quote Dad, " It's absolutely out of question, Alexander, that you teach or go out in the magical world or in any other place, in that horrible thing that you have the pretence to call a 'very cool shirt'. When in reality it's just the result of a mad man's imagination who had been put on crutiatus curse for far too long," and, "For Merlin sakes, would you shut that damned robe before someone sees that bunch of crap, you call muggle clothes. For crying out loud."

So, he was now, after more than one and an half hours of trying on and measuring, the proud owner of four classic black pants, three more sporty black pants, a couple of sweatpants, black of course, a dozen silk shirts, a dozen t-shirts and a half dozen pullovers in different shades of green and, would you believe it? Black, some with discreet snakes in the embroidery. Even his new underwear was black silk. No more snoopy boxers for the Xan-man, no sir.

The hairdresser was an absolute necessity according to Dad, who was looking at his head with disgust. Another witch took him in hand the moment they stepped inside Aticus Loon's Modern Hairstyle for fashionable Witch and Wizard. He was forced in a seat and the witch, who looked like the natural daughter of Dorothy from the "wizard of Oz" and David Bowie in his eighties style, looked at him for two minutes, without blinking mind you, before growing his hair to the middle of his back and adding two fine Slytherin green stripes on the right side to complete the new look. Their next stop was to Flourish and Blotts to buy new books on potions, that they were going to need during the next four weeks, plus some to prepare Xander for teaching lessons, some new publications, and others on divers subjects that Xan just wanted to read like the **History of Living Blades Trough the Ages** by Timothy Lafleur or **How To Survive Your First Day as a Magical Teacher?** By the Suicidal Teachers Guild. Apparently, they were having a meeting next month. It was in loving memory of Magnus MorsVoluntaria their suicidal founder. The Leaky Cauldron provided them with a nice lunch before they went down to Knockturn Alley for the potion's ingredients and required utensils. Next was the decoration shop, where he found a tapestry for his bedroom that had living unicorns on it and another one for his office, which showed you whatever your heart desired to see. He also bought a big, green, leather armchair also for his office, a black comforter with a red dragon for his bed, who was breathing fire when the winter comes, to keep you warm and flapping his long wings in the summer hot to cool you. The sealer warned Lex that the dragon, who's little name was Draco had the bad habit to purr, when he loved his master. After that only some minor other accessories were bought to make his rooms more homey. His father had looked at him with amusement, when he was inspecting every thing so closely. Like a little kid on Christmas morning who can't believe that all the gifts are for him. They only needed to make two more stops after that, the first was to Olivander's for a new wand, and the second was supposed to be a surprise. Inside Olivander's shop, they were immediately taken aside by Mr Olivander.

"Good afternoon, Professor. What can I do for you? Did you need a new wand or some repairs on your old one?"

"Good afternoon to you to, Mr Olivander. Actually, it's my son, Alexander, who needs a new one since his first wand had been burned." Severus said keeping a neutral face as always, when he was outside of Hogwart. He had learned a long time ago, that his Death Eater reputation always preceded him, and that if he didn't wanted to be harassed by some good intentioned wizard or witch, the best solution was to act the as discreet as possible.

"Ah…………………yes, yes, I remember young master Alexander, seven inch, sandal rosewood and viper tooth, interesting combination!" said Olivander, who was now selecting boxes and putting them on the counter. " Here, let's try this one, seven inch, cedar wood and phoenix feather."

Xander took it and immediately a couple of boxes went flying.

"NO, absolutely not, try this one, eight inch, pin wood and Drul demon mucus"

………………………………………………VLAM!

"No, Eleven inch, acajou and dragon shell"

………………………………………………CRRRRRRRACK!

"No, Ten inch,…………" and that little game continued on and on and on until only one box was left unopened and Mr Olivander seemed remarkably frustrated almost on the verge of crying. "Gentlemen, this his our last hope, if this one don't work I'll give you the address of one of my esteemed colleges. Nine inch, willow tree wood and vampire blood!" the last description was made with a very tired voice.

Xander was sure that this would be his new wand, before he even touched it, Willow tree and vampire blood, the different parts of the wand were so made for him. The moment, his fingers brushed the soft wood a wave of energy passed through them and made a faint glow surround Lex.

"And we have a winner!" said Xander joyfully, before he asked on a impulse "Do you know the name of the vampire who gave you the blood?"

"Actually, the blood was given to my grand-father by William the bloody, one of the scourge of Europe, more than ninety years ago. Before you, that wand has always tried to kill the wizards who touch her, that's why I let you try it only as a last resort. I've never believed that I would see the day when that bloody thing finds it's true owner. She's a very unusual mix and a powerful one, I think she'll be perfect for you." Said Olivander with a big smile.

" Yes, I think so too. It seems that even when I try to forget the past, he tends to find his way back in my life." After that, Xan made a small chuckle, and let his father pay for the wand.

They said their good byes, and found themselves in the alley once again.

"Can I have my ice cream now, Dad please?"

"Only if you answer a question."

"God damn it! I knew this was going to come up sooner or later"

"Language, Lex!" Severus looked at his son with a little bit of irritation. "How did you know that the wand was yours before you touched it?"

"And this is the first 64000$ question of our little game, ladies and gentlemen, but what's the right answer?" Lex said with his best Jerry Springer imitation, before taking a minute of reflection and finally answering more seriously. " mainly because of the two parts that compose her. The willow tree wood first, the only one who really was my family in Sunnydale, before Buffy, the slayer came and the gang was started, was also the one who always took care of me before it all began to fall apart more than a year ago. She really was my best friend."

"And?"

"And she's named Willow!"

"That I can understand, but the Vampire blood?"

"The blood of William the bloody, aka Spike the one and only! The important part is not the fact that it's vampire blood, but that it's Spike's blood. Spike, the one who tried to kill me more than once, the one I was offered to by Angelus as a snack, my twice roommate, the bleach wonder, fangless! The vampire, I had the stupidity to admire the courage and, I don't know how but in the end of the last year, finally think of my best male friend." And for the first time since the beginning of the battle with the first and the end of Spike's relationship with Buffy, Lex took a moment to think of the one he has began to think as his vampire and realise that maybe Spike was a little bit more than that. But with his chance, he'll probably never know if that could have ended to something else than only friendship. "That's why, I knew the wand was mine, she's the representation of the two of them," Said Xander. That last sentence was followed by a deep silence between the two men, who were lost in their thought. It was Xander, who finally broke the cold ambiance with a joyfully forced voice " And now the surprise!"

"Yes son, now the surprise." replied Severus, his heart bleeding for all that his son had had to endure.

* * *

Magnus / big

MorsVoluntaria / suicide

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: Snakes, potions,…………………

* * *

Some times later

/A pet, Dad decided to give me a pet. 'A friend who will never betray you', were his words. And now she's curled around my neck, so beautiful and lethal, the pet shop owner, was so surprised when she chose me to take care of her and her little family./

**Flashback**

They had visited the five pet shops in Diagon Alley, and, yeah, Lex had seen some very rare and interesting pets, but none of them were made for him. A big black cat-like thingy had tried to get his attention, and a strange naked bird had sung in the most enchanting voice, but he had just past in front of them, they had not felt right. After the last one, he had wanted to give up and go back to the castle but his Dad had insisted. They finally tried the one at the end of Knockturn Alley, the Tenebricosus Animalis shop. Inside, Lex began to wander between the rows, when a flash of light that glinted in a dark corner attracted his eye. He made his way to that corner and, after brushing a mass of spider sheet and dust, discovered a big terrarium, which seemed like it had been there since the beginning of the magical world. Inside, five beautiful snakes were curled on themselves. They were asleep, their skin shinning like really soft leather, where some shadows were dancing slowly and an aura of power surrounded them, in the centre was a neutral grey one, who opened his eyes very slowly to look at Lex.

"Sssssssssssss, who are you sssssssssssstranger?"

"Alexander"

"Alexssssssssander, an name who 'hisssssssssssssssed' so nicsssssssely, you smell like ussss little sssssssnake. Why?" during his speech, the snake at uncurled his upper body to look at Lex, his head swaying slowly to the right, then to the left, like if he was listening to a song that no one else could ever hear.

Lex took several minutes to think, and let the words of Salazar Slytherin come back to him. Now, he truly understood the meaning of one of his gifts for the first time. So that was what understand the language of the snakes meant. Then he answered the snake's question, with a serie of strange hissing sounds.

"I've been gifted by a very powerful wizard with the way of the snakes."

"A pressshiousss gift, but it doesssssn't explain why you're dissssssturbing our ressssssst?"

"My father has decided that, since I'm away from my friends and that they seemed to always reject me I needed some one with unconditional loyalty, and what's better for that than a pet."

"I ssssssssee, do you find ussssss beautiful, little sssssnake?"

"Ye..yes,…………………………… Yes, you are, but very dangerous too!"

"You are right, we are indeed! Will you let me tasssssste your blood?"

"Why?"

"Why do I want to tasssste you?" the snake stopped his balancing movements, hissed lightly and said "No one hassssss been able to wake usssss for ssssscenturies, but you, you made me awaken from my eternal dreamsssss. Only that fact, makesssss me think that I'm meant to sssstay with you, but before I trussssssst you with my family and my hissssstory, I want ssssssssome guarantiessss and asssss every snake knowsssss, the history of a man issss in hissssss blood. That's why I want to tasssssste yoursssss. sssssssssss" said the snake, his eyes shinning more brightly than before.

There was a long silence, during which Lex took his time to take up his right sleeve before giving his assent.

"I'll let you taste my blood, but I cut myself, you are not to put your fangs in me until we trust each other," Lex drew Eline, his master blade, gift of Godderick Gryffindor, from the magical black leather cuff who had appeared on his left wrist just after his talk with the hat. The cuff was designed to contain the long, shining and deadly elfish blade, which was decorated with the union of a Snake and a Gryffin. Then, he cut his wrist lightly, before extending it to a little purple forked tong, who licked at the blood for a long time, learning his history, his destiny, his dreams, and the place where her own destiny fit in all of that.

"I will be your pet and your friend little ssssssnake, but you musssst promissssssss me to take care and protect the family who'sssss mine."

Lex took his time once again, considering all the aspects of the bargain he was preparing to make with this strange pet. In himself, he knew that the snake was meant to come with him, like he had know that the wand was his, a feeling of rightness and a hot circle around his heart was the only proof he needed. And if it was not? His HufflePuffle gift, in action for the first time, were letting him see the neutral aura around this strange pet, a aura so much similar to his own. Now, only one last question was in left before he gave his final accord.

"First, your name and the name of the members of your family!"

"My turn to assssssk why, little ssssssssnake."

"I can't read your history in your blood, but most of the time a name contains as much history and power as the blood."

"Ssssssuch an intelligent and paranoid little sssssnake, keep that modus operandi and you'll have a very long life. Very well, I'm Neutralisssss and I'm the older one of the family. After me is Obssscuritasssss, my younger brother" she said, indicated the dark grey black snake, then she made a movement to a grey white snake "and hisss mate, she isssss Luminisssss." After that first presentation she looked at the last two neutral grey snakes, one a little thinner and the other much larger than the first two. "The one with the blood red sssssssssscar above hisssss left eye isssssss my mate Sssssanguissssss and the little one with the green key like mark issssss our daughter Clavisssssss." Then she looked with expectation for Lex's next move.

"I, Alexander Lavelle Snape promise to take care and protect you and your family as I would my own pack. Will that pledge, be enough to satisfy you."

"Yesssss it will, my massssssssster."

"Good, time to go pay the greasy git at the counter and go find Dad. It's time to go home. Tonight, I'll have a story for dad and you'll have one for me." With those last words, Lex took the terrarium in his harms and Neutralis found the way to her new master's neck, resting comfortably.

**End flashback**

* * *

Two weeks later, Lex's bedroom, long after midnight

/So much has changed in two weeks. Especially after that second night with Dad, after the shopping marathon, I just felt so happy for a moment. Before, we had dinner with the staff. They were all very nice, but McGonagall looked really green, well, for a Gryffindor when Dad introduced me. I think I heard her say that for the greasy git's son, I looked almost normal. After that kind of comment from a Head of House nonetheless, you know how the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor had survived all these centuries, it's pitiful. And the staff seemed to find that very funny. My attitude cooled quickly and I even gave them a good impersonation of Angelus the brood-maester in is best if you have nothing to say, just shut up Xander, you're such a useless, boring little brat expression. The dinner was almost nice. Dad began a conversation with Professor Sinistra about the next blue moon, some problem with the Brevis-Vita flowers, which contrary to their name had the propriety to extend life in different cases of incurable diseases, but needed to be collected that special night. And I had a nice argument with Professor Flitwick about the possible mixing of impervus and glamour, to make the glamour more difficult to break. After dessert we went of in the direction of the dungeons.

Dad sat on the couch with a glass of faërie bourbon; I just lay beside him with my head on his knees. He lit the fire and began to caress my hair in a soothing motion. After a moment, I began my story. There was so much to tell that hours just flew by, he laughed with me at some of the most ridiculous episodes of my life, like the giant lady preying-mantis Professor. He hugged me tenderly when I recounted of the rejection of the gang and let me cry on his shoulder for the loss of Anya. At the end of the night, we were pretty much drunk and most of the stories I was telling had Spike and Dawn as main characters. More and more bourbon appeared and disappeared from our glasses as the time passed, and I don't know how but I was so drunk at one point, that I finally emptied the contents of my heart to dad. All I was holding back, was brutally spilled out. To say that he was surprised, is an understatement. He seemed pleased to have a kind of adopted granddaughter, but the 'I'm in love with a vampire and he doesn't even know that I exist' part was not taken quite as well. /

**Flashback**

"You're in love with a ………………WHAT? Are you bloody insane! I've always thought that the Potter family and especially James's brat wanted me dead, but obviously he's not going to have to do the work! Because, my dear son has taken it on himself to ASSASSINATED ME! I'm going to have a bleedin' heart-attack! And if that's not sufficient to kill me, that blood-sucker of your can just finish the job!"

"But Daaaaaaaaaad."

"Don't 'but Dad' me young men! I knew that those muggles would corrupt you, I'm fuckin' going to…………………………………………………"

**End flashback**

/It had taken more than an hour to calm him and another one to explain why I had fallen for the big bad. Finally I had to let him try the Legilimens spell on me and that had taken more than three and a half hours for him to understand and be satisfied by what he found in my mind. Merlin knows that only my dad can pull a tantrum for something that I did and try to find a way to understand it in the same time. He really is the best/ a little chuckle escaped him at that moment, his two chocolate brown eyes shone brightly./and to know that he wants for Dawn to take our family's name and be legally registered as my daughter, it's sweet in a creepy weird kind of way, maybe one day, who knows/ another chuckle / sometimes his degree of adaptation amazes me. He is a true Slytherin in every sense of the word!

The next day had been slightly less joyful, I woke up to find that he had made the potion for my eye and that he had to sedate me after I took it, because regrowing an eye hurts like hell. And once again, he was right, I stayed asleep for the next three days and each time I resurfaced in that lapse of time, it was like some one had put a healthy dose of acid on my face, bloody hell! After that episode, every day looked pretty much the same as the precedent, potions, potions, potions and more potions, add to that bunch of potions, Dad's sarcastic comments. And voila! what has been my life for the past two weeks. / and then Lex used Severus's most sarcastic tone and began to speak for himself aloud.

"NOT Like that Lex! For crying out loud, you need to make an eight figure with your spoon when you add the Tenebrae-Solaris grass in that potion, it's basic Lex! Change your knife between each ingredient Lex! Don't add the dragon shell to quickly Lex! It's supposed to be indigo, not cyan blue Lex! Stop whining Lex! Try not to make this one explode Lex! NO, no, no, no, stop, stop, stop, stop, Lex, Lex, Lex, Lex,……………………………………………"

/how, for Merlin's sake did he want me to concentrate with him breathing down my neck, or looking over my shoulder, he can be an obsessed bastard when it comes to teaching potions to his own son! His only chance is that I love him so much, because some one else would have killed him by now. But I must admit that I've learned much in two weeks with him, than all my years at Sunnydale high./

At that precise moment, a banging sound came from the living room and made him rush to see what had happened. In the room's fireplace were standing the two people who had occupied his thoughts most of the time since his departure, they were looking with big eyes at an angry Severus Snape, wand in hand who was at the verge to hexing them. A big grin came to his face, as he put his hand on his Dad's wand to stop him and tried to speak, but only two words came out of him before he hugged them to death.

"Dawnie! Spike!"

* * *

Tenebricosus Animalis / dark animal

Neutralis / neutral

Obscuritas / darkness

Luminis / light

Sanguis / blood

Clavis / key

Brevis-vita/ short live

Tenebrae-solaris/ dark sun

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5:……………………and family!

* * *

"Next morning, Lex's room"

/It's so great to be here, Xan seemed so happy to see us, at least, last night, he did. We made a smashing entrance in his living room fireplace. And when I say smashing, I mean smash as in my cute little butt landing on the floor and Spike falling on top of my knees. I blushed deep red and the big bad cursed all the saint in heaven, in languages that even Giles must never have heared. For a moment, I've thought we were going to be hexed to death when I saw his father wand in hand ready to throw some spells on us. Spike immediately reacted, shielding me with his body, shifting to game face, and preparing himself to go for the kill, when Xan erupted into the room, it took him only a quick glance before stopping his father and crushing us both in a bear hug. Spike had protested that he was, and I quote 'the big bad, don't need to be hugged by a bloody soddin' whelp, so get your hands of me and don't give me your bleedin' puppy dog eyes……………… BLOODY HELL! Pet when did you get that eye of yours back ?', it was really funny, because in all the time Spike took to say that he never let go of Xan once, as to make sure that he was real, like if he let go Xan would suddenly disappear. When they finally let go of each other, Xan got us out of the fireplace to introduce us to his Dad. He's kind of freaky, all tall and dark, but not in a ' I've my soul again and I must brood until the end of the world, because my soulless alter ego tortured and killed innocent people and my family' kind a way like Angel. No, it's more a 'I have power and I know how to use it, so don't mess with me' attitude, but when he looks at Xan, love shines in his eyes. I don't think Xander ever had that kind of unconditional love before, so that makes him ok, I guess. After that, Xan's Dad took a good look at Spike's condition and dragged us all in to the infirmary, where Poppy Pomfrey decided to stun him after the twenty 'bugger this woman!' and a couple of 'why can't I leave this antechamber of hell already, I'm a master vampire not a bleedin' toddler for crying out loud!'. After she finished with his assorted injuries, she insisted on examining me too. When she finished up, she had a long talk with Xan's Dad, Severus (he asked us to call him that), before letting us go back to their quarters, insisting that Spike needed to rest. So bed for everyone for now and conversation in the morning. Xan went to sleep with his snake in Severus' bedroom and gave us his own room, so Spike could rest properly in a good bed. We took our usual spots. Spike on his back and me with my head on his chest close to his unbeating heart and went to sleep./

Dawn woke up for a little while sometime later, sensing something crawling on her body, she opened her eyes to see two beautiful grey snakes. There was one on Spike and one on her, twisting to curl around their necks. They strangely made her feel more secure and she decided to let them be and fall back asleep, figuring that they were most likely Xander's other pet snakes. She had seen the terrarium where they were asleep, before going to bed. She had a nice, refreshing sleep before she waking up almost thirty minutes ago, a little snake with a green key mark on his back caressing her skin very tenderly and licking her neck, like she was kissing her. A moment later, Spike began to shift around as he woke up. He lay still for a moment before asking

"You awake, Niblet?"

"I guess so. Why?" said Dawn, yawning at the same time.

"Wanted to know, s'all... M'I dreaming or is there a snake around my neck?"

"Nope, not dreaming, it's a snake. I think it's one of Xander's pets. I have one on me too; he has a lovely green key on him. Hey! Yours has the same scar, you have on your eyebrow!"

"A snake, s' an ok pet for the big bad and his pup, don't you think Niblet?"

"I think they're cool. Do you think Xan would let me keep this one?"

"Don't know, we'll ask when we see him at breakfast. It's pretty early pet, why don't we go and sleep 'til then?"

"M'kay!"

And with that Dawn cuddled Spike some more and fell asleep to the light-shushing purr Spike made, falling in a healing sleep for the second time.

* * *

"Same time Severus's bedroom"

Lex stretched out as he woke up, getting out all the kinks of sleep, moving like a snake would have done after a summer afternoon nap and opened his eyes to find his father up and ready for a little trip to his private laboratory.

"You're awake early today, Daddy."

"One day Lex, I'll make you regret that 'daddy'!" said Severus with a smile "I've some work to do before breakfast and I want to test a theory, that Poppy and I discussed last night."

"That's what you two where discussing before we left?" asked Lex, as he got up and out of bed; Neutralis found her place around his neck instantly.

"Hello, masssssssssster. We mussssst disssscussssssssse ssssomething, I have interessssssting newssssssss!" said the snake.

"Good morning to you too, Neutralis. We can talk as soon as my father is gone," answered Lex caressing his pet's skin tenderly.

"Lex, what did you plan to do until your friends wake up?" asked Severus.

"Neutralis needs to speak with me, and after that I think I'm going to train with Eline in the training room at the end of the corridor. You know the one behind the portrait where Salazar Slytherin and Goderick Gryffindor's portraits go to snuggle in the lavender flowers. They're so cute and Salazar curses like nobody I've ever know when they're, umm… in the middle of something and you interrupt them. It's really hilarious to see him react like a knight in shinning armour defending his poor damsel in distress. But I think that the better part is seeing Godric chasing him with a sword, because trust me, that guy hate playing the girly part of the couple, " Lex finished with an enormous grin on his face.

Severus was taken aback by his son last revelation and gave a small nod with his head before leaving, promising himself a little trip to the end of the hall sometime soon. He only had three hours before breakfast now to prepare the potion he had in mind. The day promised to be interesting.

After seeing his dad leave the room, Lex put Neutralis on the bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Fifteen minutes later, he was heading out to the training room, listening to his snake's joyous voice.

"I wassss awake with the sssssssun my masssssssster and I wanted to sssssee how my massssster'ssss mate and daughter where. Sssso I dessscided to go in our bedroom, they where assssleep my masssster, but when I climbed up on the bed, I could sssssee that they where not alone my masssster," said Neutralis with an excited voice, which was hissing more than usual.

"Not alone?"

"No, my massssster. My mate and my daughter were curled around them."

"They wake up while you were there?"

"Yesssss my massssster, they opened their eyesssss when I approached, I am ssssso happy, my masssster, sssso happy! They ssssaid that their new masssterssss energy had awakened them lassssst night, like yoursssss had awaked me."

"Hmm?"

"What issss it, massster?"

"Just thinking 'Lis, that's all."

"And what are you thinking of, my masssster?"

"It's strange, after a thousand years or so, I found you and your family asleep, but as soon as you felt my energy, you woke up. Then, the ones I consider my daughter and my mate come, and your daughter and your mate woke up to find that they have new masters, on top of that, your name is Neutralis who means neutral and I'm supposed to be the only neutral wizard in the world."

"Yessss, it'ssss ssssssstrange but………"

"Wait a minute that's only the beginning, your daughter's name is Clavis, that means key and my daughter is a dimensional key in human form. Next , your mate Sanguis, meaning blood and my mate Spike, William the _Bloody_, a vamp whose whole life revolves around blood. Your family, my family! I think that each one of you is destined to a member of my family; it's the logical connection! A family made the spell that ended the first war of the wizarding world; a family with the same characteristics needs to end the _last_ war of the wizarding world! So, if I'm right, my father represents the darkness of the family and Obscuritas is his, Luminis would be for his mate when he finally finds the right one." At that moment, Lex had forgotten all training and his brain was thinking so fast it was hard to keep up! It was like the entire jigsaw puzzle was beginning to take form for the first time since his discussion with the sorting hat. "So, let me think a minute, you said that before the spell, Obscuritas was fighting for the dark side and Luminis for the light side, that put them in the place of the warriors of light and darkness when you made the spell, right?"

"Yessss, my masssster. The ssssspell required five participantsssss from the sssssame family, a neutral wizard, a dark and a light one, a neutral who leaned more to the light and finally a neutral who leaned more to the dark."

"OK, ok, ok! I get it know, I'm the neutral, Dawn is the neutral-light, Spike is the neutral-dark and Dad is the new warrior of darkness the founders wanted me to find. If I'm right when I give Obscuritas to Dad after breakfast, he's going to wake up and then we only need to find the warrior of light and give him Luminis. When all the pieces are in place, I can begin their training and we can prepare for what's going to come to us."

"Yesssss, I think it'sssssss correct my massssster, but to accessssss their full power the warriorsssss musssst bond together, assss you mussssst do with your mate too, and technically, your daughter mussssst be from your blood. How she woke Clavissssss, without being from your blood issss an enigma you mussssst resssolve abssssssolutely before the war beginssss openly, and if you need our help we're going to need to forge a blood-bond between your family and mine. Oh, if Obscuritassssss wakessss up, I think that he would be able to sssssenssse hissss massssster'ssss real mate and sssso help ussss to find the misssssssing warrior."

"Good, good!" said Lex, his eyes full of twinkles. "So, objective one: the Dawn/blood enigma thing, objective two: daddy's new mate, that's going to be fun, because he can be a real pain in the ass when he wants to and let me tell you, he's not going to agree without a fight. Objective three: make sure that mister 'do you want a lemon drop, veritaserum flavoured, my dear? So, I can fuck with your mind in peace!" doesn't find out about what we're doing until we're ready. Four: begin Spike seduction, five: find a spell to regenerate my blood, so he can drink my blood and not some cow shit, six:………………um…………is there a six?"

"Ssssssix: it'sssssssss time for breakfassssst, my masssssster!"

Lex stopped his planning, to quickly cast a clock spell, and after seeing that he was almost late, took off in the direction of Snape's living room. The table was set and everyone was sitting. At the sound of the door closing, his father turned his head and said,

"Lex, come here, I need your blood before the potion cools!"

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: It's all In the Blood.

* * *

"You need my blood?" asked Lex with smile on his face. "What? Not even a good morning, my dear son, how do you feel on this lovely sun-shining day? Would you like some breakfast? Perhaps some donuts, before I suck out your blood like a good vamp wanna-be?"

"Lex! Stop being a brat and get your arse over here, this potion is really difficult to make and I don't want to do it a second time!" said Severus, his face showing some light irritation.

Lex made his way to his father and the bright, glassy jade bowl, where a silver liquid was fuming, smelling like mint and honey with a touch of sugary vanilla. Kissing Dawn's cheek on the way by and smiling happily to Spike, he saw the two snakes curled happily around their necks and a feeling of rightness invaded him, just for a second. He took the knife his father was giving him and cut his wrist lightly, before looking to Severus.

"How many drops?"

"Three!" said Severus. He watched Lex put three drops into the liquid, before he took a glass vial of blood from one of his pockets and put three drops in the same liquid which began to boil before projecting an image of Dawn, Lex, and surprisingly, Joyce Summers, in the purple mist above the bowl.

"Ooookay Dad, can I have an explanation of the light show? Now?"

"Yes Lex, take a seat and I'll explain, but before that I need Miss Summers to-"

"Dawn," interrupted the young teenager.

"What was that?"

"You're Xander's father, so I think you can call me Dawn. Miss Summers makes me feel like I'm at school. Which I am, technically."

"Well! Dawn, I need you to tell to me how the monks created you."

"The official theory is, that they took Buffy's DNA and ... made me. That's what Willow and Giles thought, and since they're the brains of the Scoobies, we all thought it was the right explanation. Why?"

Severus lost himself in his thoughts for a moment, and Spike took the opportunity to observe the man. He reminded him of a friend he had before Angelus turned him, a friend who had the same last name, strange? Angus Salazar Snape, had been his best friend at Hogwarts. As a vampire, he had never thought he would see this school again, before he died that is, in a turning to ash sort of way this time. From what he had seen, there were very few changes since the last time he had been here, since he had been William Aconite Malfoy.

He hadn't used his wand or even attempted the beginning of a spell in all his time with Angelus or Drusilla from fear that they discover that he, being a wizard, was partially immune to his demon and that, like every wizard who had been turned before him, he had retained his soul. William had never fit in with his own family before that, him not wanting to be a dark wizard, but being forced to. Tradition and the pride of the Malfoy's name dictated that the entire family would be dark. So, when Dru had turned him, he played his part and with Angelus' special training and torturing/raping 'fun' sessions, he created his big bad personality and mastered it, feeling part of a family for the first time, in a crazy kind way, never thinking twice about his past life.

Until one day, in the halls of Sunnydale High, his grand-sire had given him the most beautiful pair of chocolaty brown eyes attached to the gorgeous body of a dark haired boy, who smelt of sunshine and innocence. For the first time, since his turning, his soul had taken control of his demon wanting to hold the precious gift in his arms until the end of time. But, Angelus had tricked him once again and made sure that the eyes would only contain hatred and distrust for him. He helped the slayer send Angelus to hell, making sure that the eyes would be safe. When Dru finally decided to leave him, he had wanted to scream with joy! He had packed all he needed with a flick of his wand and apparated to the Hellmouth faster than you could say 'Quidditch', eager to see the eyes once again, using magic since no one was there to see it.

Only, he had met up with the Initiative first. They had tortured him, but they also gave him a pretext to go and get help from the Scoobies, and his eyes. By doing that, they had put in place all the pieces for the events, which followed. Xander had chosen another ex-demon as his mate, before Spike even had the chance to try to make him see that they were made for each other So, he tried to forget him, because only the happiness of the eyes mattered. He had focused on the next person strong enough to be his mate, the Slayer!

Talk about a mistake. It was only the look Xander gave him after his attempted rape on Buffy, that had woken him up, making him understand that for the last months he had let the demon take full control of his life. He could have harmed his precious eyes, in his heartbroken pain. That's why he ran to Africa, for the demon shaman to anchor his soul, caging his demon forever. After that, he returned to Sunnydale, taking the long road of mistrust with the Scoobies, wanting desperately to see Xander trust him again. He had almost lost hope after closing the Hellmouth, when Xander had left. But, a letter to a teenage girl had made his entire world swing with a rush of happiness. Xan had literally trusted him with his most precious possession. And, like every time Spike remembered that moment, he could feel a warm-fuzzy sensation blossoming inside his unbeating heart, and it made him seek Xander's eyes.

Speaking of which, they were looking at him with something like a melange of hunger, desire and………love? For one moment their eyes were glued together, not wanting to let go of the instant and the "warm fuzzy" feelings they could see shining for them in the other's glance. Finally it was Lex who let his gaze drop, a promising smile on his lips for the startled vamp, and a question for his confused father.

"Dad? Do you plan on explaining your little potion drama now or sometime next year?"

"Hm, what did you just say, Lex?" asked Severus finally escaping his train of thought.

"Explain. Now! Please."

"Oh, yes! Well, last night after Poppy took some of Dawn's blood, she magically scanned it and discovered something strange. So, she asked me if I could make another test this morning."

"She's fine, though. Right, Dad? She's not sick? Please tell me she's not sick?" interrupted Lex, his eyes searching Dawn for some kind of visible sign of a malady.

"No, Lex, she's perfectly fine, now stop interrupting me," said Severus with a gentle smile for his worried son. "So, this morning I made the potion we just used, it's a DNA test potion, and the fact that your face appeared with Dawn's left absolutely no doubt that Dawn is your biological daughter! My theory, after reflection, is that if the monks had only taken Buffy's blood, they would have made a clone, and besides that, Dawn has no slayer marker in her DNA. If Buffy had been your mother, Dawn, you would have had them. The important point is that they still needed Buffy to protect the key. So instead, they chose to use the DNA of the closest relative she had, her mother. I assume that it was her face in the mist with yours. They also needed a father to make a new being. They must have chosen the most powerful male around the slayer. You being a pureblood wizard, Lex, made you the perfect choice. Now, we need to change that young girl's last name and you need to complete some papers to make it official and I'll have a granddaughter! We also need to integrate her into Hogwarts as a student and I'll need to make a Tempus Retardâre potion, so we can make the time pass more slowly for us. We need to teach her almost everything, so she can be ready and at the same level the seven year student are. I think that I'm going to make the potion so the time will be six times slower, we still have fifteen days until the beginning of terms, that would leave us with three months. Maybe I could also make some Cogère potion for helping her concentrate, hummmmm, a Memoria potion so she can retain the knowledge after the first reading, and Celeriter Studére to make her learn the practical stuff faster. Yes, ... yes, it's possible!" continued Severus, still planning the next weeks, totally lost to the rest of the world. "WAIT! Wait a minute Dad, she………she's my daughter?" Lex was looking at Dawn, who was looking at him too, her eyes full of hope.

"Yes, I've just told you that, Lex!" responded Severus with a tint of fondness for his son, who was now bouncing around the room. He took Dawn in his arms dragging her in a mad snoopy dance, repeating 'I'm your Daddy, my little Dawnie, I'm your Daddy and you're my sweet little Dawnie, mine, mine, mine, MINE!' again and again and again. After a moment, Dawn began to sing with him and Spike was grinning like a fool. It took another thirty minutes for everyone to calm dawn and for Lex to realise something else his father had said.

"Buffy isn't her mother, Joyce is?" asked Lex with a gentle smile, he looked at Dawn a long moment and said, " I can see her in you,…………did you know I had a crush on her for the longest time. She knew it, but she never laughed at me. She was a wonderful woman, very kind and gentle, who always took care of me when I needed it. I'm honoured to share a child with her." With that, some tears found their way down Dawn's cheeks, and she put her head on Spike's shoulder, after she took her place on his lap. "Dawn, Would you like to take my name, since I'm your father? And would you consider calling me Dad, maybe? But only if you want too?" asked Lex hesitantly, hope shining in his eyes.

"Dad, I would love to be a Snape and call you Dad, Dad!" said Dawn with a big smile.

"So it's settled, I'll contact the ministry and make someone come out to fill the papers. Since Buffy isn't your mother, it's going to simplify the custody paper. Lex being your father, he has more rights to have custody of you, than your half-sister does. We also need you to have British nationality and fill out your registration into the school and, like I said earlier, I need to make a Tempus retardâre potion. So, MY grand-daughter will learn the first six years, in the next two weeks, if she's going to have to pass her Owls before the beginning of term." Severus began to plan.

"Isn't that potion illegal, Dad?"

"Only if someone knows you made it, but nobody will know, because none of us are going to talk about it. Am I clear?" asked Severus sending a distinct glare of warning to the others.

"Crystal clear, Daddy!" assured Lex with a grin.

"LEX!"

"Yes, Dad?" said Lex with an innocent expression, trying to look like a little angel who had fallen from heaven accidentally. Hey, let's get real, Lucifer was a fallen angel, too.

"Forget it, I'll take care of the papers, you'll take Dawn to Diagon Alley to fetch what she needs for now and for school later. You need to buy her a wand too, and if your vampire is going to live with us, you need to buy him a new wardrobe. Something more appropriate than this, something like your own robes, and ask Olivander if he can open tonight. We need to see if he can use a wand."

"That's not going to be necessary; I have my own wand with me, thank you very much," interrupted Spike with a perfect upper class British accent.

"And can you tell me why you have a wand, mister ………Spike?" inquired Severus with some distrust in his voice.

"Because I was a wizard before I was turned, and actually, it's mister Malfoy, if you please. William Aconite Malfoy. If I'm not mistaken, I used to go to this school with your great-grand-father, Angus." Answered Spike with a little smile, looking at the others and laughing lightly at their stunned expressions. "Bloody hell, shut your gobs, you all, or are you catchin' flies then?"

"You're _that_ Malfoy? I've read about you in Grady Angus's diary. You were the one who dindn't want to be a dark wizard. You were his best friend?" asked Severus calmly, "he thought that you had died."

"In a way, I had di... am dead." Spike closed his eyes a moment and let out a sigh before looking at them once again, "You want some explanations, I suppose?"

"Yes, Wil, we'd like that," said Lex with a tender smile and a gentle kiss on the distressed vampire's cheek. "But, we will do that tonight, after diner. For the moment, we need to do what was planned and it's still daylight outside. You need to go rest some more, you were really in bad shape last night."

With those last words, Lex took Dawn to the fireplace and they flooed away. Severus looked at Spike for a moment.

"How good are you at Defence Against the Dark Arts?" he asked with a smirk.

"I'm a bleedin' god at it, I am! I have some bloody internal experience being a vamp and all! Why?" answered Spike with an equal smirk.

"Because this school needs a qualified teacher for a change, and I think that Lex wants his family around him. If you agree I'll talk with the headmaster later, I don't think that he's found anyone yet."

"Ok, let's do it. Me a bleedin' teacher, I'm going to make those bloody Gryffindors nutser than Dru after that time miss Edith told her to fuck off, and go shag a bloody slimy demon thingy! That was something to see mate, took her two fucking weeks to get ride of all the green goo. Never wanted to kiss that sodin' doll more than that day, made me laugh for the next two years, each time I r'membered it. Hell, she was pissed, never spoke to the doll for more than six months!" and Spike was once again laughing his ass of.

"Go, play with the Gryffs all you want. But, let me tell you, it is going to be a lot of work! And please, could you drop the act when you're in the school. It's not necessary here and frankly it grates on my nerves," said an irritated Severus. "Oh, and William, I think you love my son, if I've correctly read the looks you send him." Spike just made a little nod. "If you hurt him, you better find a deep hole in nowhere land, because I'll find you and make you suffer dearly, understood?" asked Severus with a sugary-sweet, innocent voice, looking Spike right in the eyes.

"Does that mean that I have your consent to court your son, sir?"

"You have it, but I want a wedding proposal in good form before the end of the year," answered Severus with a dark sparkle in his eyes and light amusement in his voice. "A Malfoy, he could have done much worse." With that, he took his leave, stopping a moment at the door to say one last thing, "I'll make you a potion to cure your 'allergy' to the sun, it should be ready tomorrow night. If you're going to teach here, you'll need to be capable to walk in the sun."

"Thank you, for the sun and the consent," said Spike, seeing that his life had just taken a better turn for the first time in a while. Somehow, today had become the beginning of his new life, and the eyes of his beautiful Xanpet, no; Lexpet had held some beautiful promises. Severus was in is lab now, so Spike took of in the direction of Lex's room, curled up on the bed with Sanguis, dreaming of the moment he could finally hold his mate.

Sometime later, Severus came in the room to check on him and ask some questions. He found the vampire sleeping; an innocent smile on his face. No dreams would disturb him until he woke up.

In the terrarium, the dark grey snake awoke up and made his way to his new master, the dark wizard of the family, the one who smelled like potions.

* * *

Tempus Retardâre : Slowing time

Cogère : Concentration

Memoria : Memory

Celeriter studére : Learning fast

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7: Miss Edith Goes To L.A .

* * *

A old cemetery, somewhere in New Orleans

Two days previous to Spike and Dawn's arrival at Hogwarts, a dark haired woman was dancing, turning in slow spirals between the graves. Her dark burgundy dress balancing smoothly, flowing with her body movements. A sweet song made of sweet nonsense floating on her lips, scarlet rose against a white porcelain skin and deep brown eyes which seemed to invade her face. She was a vision a false innocence, interrupting her song now and then to kiss her doll and explain its meaning

"We are going to see Daddy, Miss Edith; we are going to see our sweet Daddy!"

She was sing-songing with little chuckles, a secret smile on her face. She was feeling happy, wrapping herself in the moonlight's rays, letting her steps lead the way to a throne made of light grey marble, guarding the entrance of a very old tomb covered in so much vegetation, that it was almost impossible to tell that it had been there one day, a long time ago. She gracefully lowered to the chair, sat in it, and began caressing her doll's skin with light finger tips. Whispering secrets only her porcelain child could hear, she giggled and smiled at the lovely things her stars were whispering. At her feet, two corpses, freshly drained, were lying. She was casting looks at them from time to time, waiting for them to wake up.

"Daddy is going to be happy to see us this time, Miss Edith, because he's searching for my Spike and my dark kitten. The nasty slayer wants to find the pretty light and take her away from them. She thinks the light is her baby." And at that, she chuckled lightly again, sending a secret smile to the stars. " But we, we know that the pretty light belongs to our dark kitten. Daddy is going to help our Spike and his new family fights the slimy snake and the old fool, but before that we must help the rogue hunter. He must make our Angelus whole again, the nasty soul needs to merge with Daddy, they must be one to help save our new family. Only when it's done and when our Spiky has claimed my kitten, can we take Daddy and his minions to them."

Movements at her feet made her stop her conversation, and turn her head to look in the eyes of her two newly raised children. They were beautiful, two dark, sandy haired vampires, one with hazel and the other with clear blue eyes, filled with desire and hunger. She could smell their bloodlust, making her body shudder with anticipation, a moist heat taking place between her legs. Her voice was hoarse, a rich mixing of lust and heat when she spoke again.

"Look, Miss Edith, look! Mummy's new baby boys have woken up. Aren't they pretty? Almost as beautiful as their big brother, when he felt the hunger for the first time. The stars were right once again, when they chose them for us. Yes, Miss Edith, they're going to take good care of us. And the nasty slayer is going to be so angry with us!" that last sentence was meet by growls from the fledges and laughter from her. She giggled some more, "So nicely angry. Won't it be delightful!" Then, she raised herself from the throne to kiss each of her children deeply on the mouth in full game face. Taking her time she used her fangs to lash at their tongues draining some blood, tasting them. Then, she let a little bit of her own blood slip into their mouths, preparing them for their first kill, later tonight. "Come kiddies. Mummy's going to teach you how to dine like true Aureliuses. Then mummy's going to take you to bed, to teach you how to make love like Aureliuses. So, when we go see Daddy tomorrow, he can be proud of his new grand-sons!" She said with a sweet honeyed little voice, and began to walk, her children beside her. Tonight would be a lovely bloodbath, Cajun style, for the new members of the Aurelius house!

* * *

Several hours later.

They had some upper-class rich idiotic for dinner. Who's stupid enough to have an entry doormat which said: 'WELCOME TO YOU, CREATURES OF THE NIGHT!'? Well, she had let her boys toy with them for some time, they each had been true Aurelius in they're way of playing with the parents' minds. Forcing them to do some of the most extraordinarily disgusting sexual acts she had ever seen, promising the safety of their children's lives to make them cooperate freely. Then, they left her for a time to prepare a surprise for her. They had dressed a table in the dining room with a lace tablecloth, fine china and candles. Lots and lots of candles. In pink Venetian crystal glass, she drank the sweet warm blood, which had been taken directly from the carotid arteries of the members of the lovely family, who had been hung up from the ceiling by their feet. Her children had served her all along, making sure that she was satisfied, before drinking for themselves.

**

* * *

****This part contain explicit sexual male/male content and blood play**

**To read it in it's entire version you can go look at the "Twisting the Hellmouth" site.**

**author name: jude**

**adress :www. tthfanfic . com /story.php?no4530&chapter8**

* * *

That night, only lovely dreams of her boy, her dark kitten and their new family visited her and made her smile in her sleep.

* * *

Two days later, the Hyperion hotel

"It's been two weeks now, Giles! And we still know nothing. When I find them, Spike is dust, and I'm going to kick Xander's butt so hard, he's going to have the mark of my boots tattooed there forever. You hear me!"

Buffy was pacing the hall like a mad Cordelia on the warpath to a shoe sale, throwing knifes into the centre of a target, just beside Giles' head each time she passed.

Having his British natural composure drastically tested, Giles was at the point, where he would gladly restrain and gag her, so she would SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP, just for a moment! Lord have mercy and help him, because Ripper wanted loose and some sweet torture scenes were playing in his head.

"Buffy, please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! Sit down; your attitude is not helping us right now. We will find them, eventually. Willow is working on a new locating spell with Andrew and Wesley. Angel is going to see the oracles again tonight, Gun has all his friends on the case, Cordy and Fred are searching on the net and the junior slayers are patrolling. I know that Dawn is important and we are all searching, but your infernal ranting won't stop the monster from killing or the prophecy from happening. And on top of that, I need to build a new council; we need new watchers for the junior slayers, they can't be sent anywhere alone, they need teams to stay alive and you know that! We all sleep less than two or three hours a day. So please, stop crossing the hall and try to make yourself useful, for once."

The voice was one of an over exceeded Giles, looking at his slayer with over exhausted eyes, his shoulders were falling; he put his head in his hands and let a deep sigh go.

Giles' outburst had made the rest of the two gangs appear in the hall. They were all looking at Buffy with reprobation. Angel was ready to knock her out, if she tried to say something more to the watcher and he could see that Willow was ready to do the same. Even the souvenir of his love for her, could not conceal the fact that she running on everybody's nerves, lately! But Buffy never had the chance to say a word. Because, at that moment, the grand doors opened, letting a strange blond men enter. He was wearing black pants, a black turtleneck and a dark sapphire cloak to match his eyes, which were taking mental pictures of the whole scene displayed in front of him.

"Excuse me, sorry to disturb you, but I'm looking for a miss Elisabeth Anne Summers. Do you where I can find her, please?" he asked with a rich baritone voice.

"Why do want to see her, if it's not too much to ask?" answered Giles suspiciously.

"Oh, sorry. I apologize, I'm Silas Stern, I'm a lawyer, I've been mandated to give Miss Summers some legal papers concerning her sister, Miss... Dawn, yes, Dawn Summers," said the blond man.

"I'm Miss Summers," responded Buffy, taking a step in his direction.

"In that case, if you would sign this paper here, my work here would be finished," he said again, extending some papers to her. She took them, looked them over and signed them, before giving them back and receiving a brown envelope supporting the seal of an official justice office in exchange.

"Well, I wish you all a good evening and if you need some help with the legal papers our phone number is inside the envelope. Goodbye!" and with that, the strange man took his leave quickly.

"Giles?" asked Buffy, looking at her watcher who was reading the contents of the envelope.

"Just a minute, Buffy, give me just……………, these documents are Dawn's birth certificate, two DNA tests establishing that Joyce is her biological mother, not you, Buffy, and that……………… no, no, that's absurd," said Giles with incredulity.

"What, what's absurd, Giles?" asked Willow hesitantly.

"Well, hum, the second test establishes that Dawn's father is not Buffy's father, but……Xander. And that other document said that he is in the middle of a procedure to have her recognised as his daughter. Finally, Buffy is not Dawn's legal guardian anymore, as biological father, Xander is now officially in charge of her until her majority," finished Giles with lassitude.

"Let's be optimistic, these documents seem to confirm the fact that they have gone to Xander for protection," said Wesley, who had recognised the ministry of magic seal on the envelope and was now sure that Dawn and Spike were perfectly safe. Maybe a little surprised too, because most likely it meant that Xander was a wizard, like him. He had some difficulty refraining from chuckling at the idea.

Knowing that the slayer and her gang had treated the boy like a donut-deliverer and calling him a zeppo, he could appreciate the irony of their similar situations, so much more. The boy had more power in him than the bloody infuriating girl herself, and like him, he never used it, probably from fear of betraying the existence of their true world. And looking at the way he used to attract demons all the time, he must have had even more power than the witch. How highly ironic.

"X………Xan……Xander is Dawnie's father?" babbled Willow, an expression of intense confusion on her face.

Buffy was now sitting on the floor, a blank expression, and her mouth opened wide. For the rest of the people present in the hall, the reaction was a mix of incredulity and amusing behaviours. Willow was now babbeling on lightning speed, passing from one person to another trying to make them understand how confused she was, asking questions and never waiting for an answer. A stunned Angel was trying to pick the slayer up off the floor, without real success. She was currently doing a good impression of a rag doll, and was silent for the first time in weeks, to the profound joy of everyone else. Fred had taken it on herself to serve Angel's best Irish scotch all around, giving a double dose to Buffy and Giles, who had keep the bottle. He was alternating between cleaning his glass furiously and trying to drink himself stupid, to digest the last news and forget that Buffy was going to pull a tantrum when she finally realised what was going on. She'd most likely start off by forcing him to do more research, until they could recover her sister. Even if he was thinking that the adolescent was better with Xander, seeing how his slayer appeared to be seriously disturbed for the moment. Cordelia had passed out from a vision of blue demon thingy, who had hit her at the same time Giles was announcing the news and Wesley was once again refraining to chuckle at the sight of the circus who had take place in the lobby.

Then a resonating BANK, made her let go of the bottle, which shattered on the floor, sending pieces of glass and alcohol everywhere. Turning her head to the door, she could see Drusilla, beautiful in a black dress with deep red lace. Two of the most stunning vampires she had ever seen at her side.

Dru took the time to glance at the group before, launching herself at Angel's neck, a smile of profound happiness on her face.

"Daddy!"

"Dru, what are you doing here, princess?" asked Angel, stunned.

"The lovely stars have talked to me, telling me to come and see you, to tell you where my William and my kitten are," answered Dru sweetly.

"You know where Spi-"

Angel never had the time to finish his question, because at that moment Dru's new children made they're way to her, and Willow could see them for the first time and the babbling suddenly came to a halt.

"OH MY GOD! RILEY! GRAHAM!" and she fainted.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8: About Pureblood, Muggle, Squib and Slayer.

* * *

Same night, in the Slytherin dungeon

Lex was sitting on one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, a little grin on his lips. He was reflecting on the events of the day, still a bit astonished by the fact that Dawnie was his. Their trip in Diagon Alley had been fun, she had managed to find a way to call him dad every other three sentences, introducing herself as Dawn Snape in every shop they had gone to. They had bought a lot of things, a new wardrobe in Slytherin colours for Dawn and Spike, choosing the same cut and material as his own for the vampire, but changing the silver snake embroidery for emerald green railroad spikes for Spike. Dawn's wardrobe had a more feminine cut in a softer material and lighter green tones with a sun and a moon melting together as embroidery. They bought her a wand, holly and moon-dust powder; "Another interesting combination", Mr. Olivander had said with a knowing smile. After that, they had gotten her books, some decorations for her and spike's new rooms, which were now on the left side of the living room. The castle had once again rearranged itself, and where the only empty wall of the Snape's family quarters contained now the two carved oaks doors of his new family members' rooms. His smile grew a little bit more, remembering what he had had the chance to see in Spike's eyes this morning, before his father's revelations. Love and desire, a combination he had seen only in his dreams. There was hope after all.

He was still daydreaming a half an hour later, when Severus finally emerged from his private lab, a dark snake curled around his neck. He took the time to serve two glasses of fire whiskey, before sitting in the second chair and giving one of the glasses to his son.

"Long day?" asked Severus with a low voice.

"Hum?" said Lex, turning his face to look at his father and seeing the dark snake curled happily in the curve of its new master's neck.

"I asked if you had a long day?" repeated his father with an indulgent expression on his face.

"Oh, yes! Well, not really, no! It seemed a bit too short to me, too many changes in one day, a little bit overwhelming, you know? Even for an ex-Sunnydaler, Slayer sidekick, Scoobie member." answered Lex with a gentle smile.

"Yes, I know." said Severus, returning the smile. "I found one of your pets. He came in the lab earlier today. He must have followed me after I went in your room to ask your vampire some more questions," he finished.

"Actually, he's your pet now. No, let me finish before you interrupt me" Said Lex with a wave of his hand to make his father listen to him. "My snakes are special, they've been asleep for more then a millennia now and can only wake for their true masters. Neutralis woke up in the shop, because she could feel me, and after we talked, she agreed to let me take care of her family until they woke. Last night her mate Sanguis and her chide Clavis woke when Dawn and Spike came into my room. And today, Obcuritas chose you as his master by waking up when he felt you come near. Only Luminis is asleep now, I think that each snake is meant for a member of my family. Neutralis for me, her daughter for my daughter, her mate for my mate, her older brother Obscuritas, the one who protected her, for my father, the one who protected me, and his mate Luminis for your future ………mate. Whoever she or he is. A family for a family!" said Lex with a strong voice and perfect logic.

Severus was silent for a long moment, but you could almost hear his brain working to process what his son had just said. When he finally put all the pieces together, his face hardened and he felt himself like a piece on a chessboard, once again something else was controlling his life.

"A prophecy?" he finally asked with an icy voice.

"A prophecy!" Answered Lex with finality. "But it's not time to tell you the whole thing, not until you find your mate. Don't look at me like that," said Lex, looking at the angry face of his father, his own voice beginning to tremble with a little bit of anger and sorrow. "I don't have a say in what's going to happen. I'm bound to that prophecy, just like you, Dawnie, Spike, or the stranger who is going to be yours. I never though I could be useful for anything other than going donut hunting, before the sorting-hat landed on my head. How do you think I felt when it explained my role in this new game, to me? I wasn't prepared for this work, which is going to be mine most of the time, I have nightmares where I see myself fail and Voldemort laughing and the people I love die. It's……………" at that moment, some tears rolled down from his eyes, tracing wet paths on his cheeks. "I'm not a hero, Dad, I'm just me and I need my father to trust me. I need you to love me and help me prepare our family for the coming battle. Until the time is right to tell the whole story to our family and friends. Can you do that for me, Dad, can you? Please?" finished Lex, eyes now fixed on the dancing flames.

Severus looked at his son, his heart melting with pride, love and sadness for the child who never had the chance to grow up and have a normal life like every other child. He took Lex's hand and made him stand before sitting him on his lap, surrounding him with his arms, rocking him lightly as if he was only four once again. If someone had seen the feared Potion Masters of Hogwarts at this moment, he probably would have had the surprise of his life, because that man was not here. Only a father concerned for the well being of his only child was in that room tonight. For once, his mask and persona were not in place.

"Hush, Alexander, hush. I trust you and I love you, my precious little Slytherin. I'll help you until the time comes, I'll help you" Severus continued to talk, shushing and reassuring Lex, until he was calm enough to get off of his father's lap to take place at his feet, leaning against his knees, looking in the fire place once again, basking in the heat.

"Are you still upset with me?" he asked with a voice, broken by too much sobbing.

"No, like you said you, just like me, have no control on what destiny wants from us," answered Severus with a calm voice, caressing his son's hair with tenderness. They stayed like that a long time, taking comfort in each other's presence, knowing that, whatever happened, they would never lose that special link between father and son. It was Lex who finally broke the shared silence.

"Before I had that outburst, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"This morning, you said I was a pureblood wizard, but how can it be when Mum is a Muggle?" Lex asked with a questioning voice, turning his head to face his father. Severus sighed lightly before answering.

"Your mother is not a muggle, Lex, she's a squib, but from an eight hundred year pureblood line. It's complicated,though. Let me try to explain. When a wizard or a witch is born with a genetic deficiency, the magic in him or her senses it and blocks all their access to the power, to make sure that he or she doesn't go insane, because of the amount of pressure the power is going to applied on that weakness. Most of the time, if a wizard married a squib, you have a full wizard or witch, in plain possession of his power, but you still have a possibility to have a squib. If a squib married a muggle, you have a possibility to have a muggleborn wizard or another generation of squib or a muggle. A Pureblood witch or wizard and a Muggleborn witch or wizard always give you a wizard, but with a squib and a muggleborn, you fifty percent chance of having a magical child and fifty percent of having a squib. On the other hand, if a squib married a squib, you have different possibilities. They could have a full wizard, or a muggle child. That poses no problem, and the child can have a normal, Muggle life. But they still could have a squib, and then the problems begin. You see, a squib can't access the power but they radiate with it, so they attract all the creatures who are power hungry. As a result, a squib has a higher chance of being turned by a vampire, or to be bitten by a werewolf or to finished as a sacrifice to some obscure god or demon. Also, it's this power that's called to activate the Slayer The Council calls the power of a young female squib by redirecting the power to a new access they create, and by doing that they permit her to use it in a different form to fight for them." Lex, who had listened to him with profound attention, interrupted him at that point to ask a question, which had been turning in his mind.

"But the weakness it still there, what happens when the pressure builds up too much and presses on it?"

"They go insane, until the power breaks them totally and takes over, destroying the girl's mind in the process. That's why the council lets them die young and why the girls have trouble controlling their temperament," said his father looking with a questioning expression at him.

"What would happen to a slayer who survives more then seven years?" An unpleasant suspicion began to make its way into Lex's mind.

"She would gradually became a psychopathic maniac, extremely homicidal, before she finally snapped and killed herself or her family and friends, depending on her state of mind at that moment, why?" asked Severus worriedly.

"Buffy! She was beginning to act really odd, before I left. She was on the war path, practically all the time. Searching for a reason to fight with everyone. She…she is the slayer, who had live for the longest time, almost eight years now. Do you think she could begin to snap?" asked Lex with a little voice.

"Well, that could explain her outburst and attempted murder on William." Answered Severus.

"I'm glad they're here, with us. I don't know how safe Will and Dawnie would be around her. "

"I'm glad too, I like my new grand-daughter and even William is beginning to grow on me, when he stops with his 'big bad' persona," said Severus with a smirk.

"I think I should write to Giles. He should know about Buffy, she still remain his slayer after all. But that would mean giving them a clue on where to find us. What do you think?" He asked looking at his father for an answer.

Severus was going to respond to the question, when a strange dark phoenix burst into the room. Landing in front of Lex, it extended his left paw for Lex to take a letter. He took it and after opening it, began to read aloud.

"It's from Dru, she's Spike's sire," He explained to his Dad before beginning. "My dark kitten, mummy is so happy! The stars have sung to her such lovely stories, about you and my Spiky. They told me a long time ago, the night I turned him,that he would take care of me until he found you, my kitten. I had to make him for you. But don't be sad, I'm not alone anymore, Miss Edith had told me a long time ago that the stars would give us two new childes, and they are beautiful, my kitten! They kill so nicely, they paint such lovely blood pictures for me. Oh, Miss Edith says I need to tell you that we are going to L.A to see Daddy. The stars gave us a spell to merge Daddy with the nasty soul, so they could be whole. But we need the help of the rogue hunter to do it; Miss Edith said that he is going to help us, because Daddy is his friend. She says that we are going to look after your almost family there and make sure that the loony slayer doesn't harm them, I'll tell the watcher all he need to know about how the slayers are made. You must continue to hide for the moment! Don't worry yourself, kitten, when Daddy is ready and I've made the little tree and the Watcher listen to the stars, so they can be together, I will bring everyone to help you. The stars tell me to tell your Daddy, that his mate will be with Daddy, when he come. Also, you must protect the little snake with a lightning bolt, he's been dreadfully hurt, you must find him quick or he's going to visit the burning kingdom and the slimy one is going to win. He must live my Kitten, he is Daddy's future, if he dies Daddy is lost for the light. Tell your Daddy that the stars said that the past needs to stay in the past, and that the funny hat must sing his song for the little snake again. Don't let the creepy old man see him, until he is well again and he trusts the dark warrior. Kiss my Spike and the lovely light for Miss Edith and me. The birdie is a gift for you and my Spiky; it's the first birdie I succeeded in turning! It was extremely difficult, so take good care of him; I called him Renfield, just like that bug eater in that silly Bram Stoker book. He's your first baby, so be good to him. He likes blood AB+.

Mummy must go now, but I promise to be with you before Christmas!

Take care; Mummy loves you, kitten. Goodbye. Yours, Drusilla and Miss Edith," finished Lex with an amused expression on his face, before his eyes found the black phoenix. "Oh Merlin, a phoenix, she turned a bloody phoenix, to give us a 'birdie'."

"She seems a little bit insane," murmured Severus hesitantly.

"Yeah, she's totally loopy, you can say it. It's a fact, but strangely, she likes me………a lot!" Lex said with a fond smile at the thought of Dru. "Do you have any idea who the 'little snake with a lightning bolt' is, since Dru seems to think that he's going to die if we don't find him soon?" asked Lex

Severus took a deep breath before answering.

"All the clues seams to indicate Mister Harry Potter," answered Severus with a dejected voice. "The dear saviour of our wizarding world. The son of James BLOODY POTTER! He's a bleedin' Gryffindor and a pain in my arse, ever since his first year!" he continued.

"Well, since you're the dark warrior of our family, it seem like you are going to help him heal and we are going to protect him from the old fool, until Deadboy comes. So, deal, and fast because I'm going to wake Spike and we're going to rescue Harry. And Dad, Dru is right, he's not James. He had nothing to do with what happened with the werewolf, he wasn't even born! What would you think, if someone was blaming me for some of the things you have done as a Death Eater?"

"That's not the same, it's not you who made these actions, you're innocent, they've nothing to say to …you," finished Severus, beginning to realise what his son was telling him. "Well, you may have a point, but I can't say that I'll stop acting like I do around him, or that I like the idea of having him with us for the next three months, but I will try to restrain myself," he said reluctantly.

"Good enough," said Lex with an amused voice, before poking his head in Spike's bedroom and yelling. "Spike, wake up, Dru sent a letter, we need to rescue her Daddy's future mate. Spike, get your ass out of that bed, it's urgent!

Spike! Spike, get the fuck out of memmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmpfffff." And he was kissed passionately on the mouth by a half-dreaming Spike for the first time. Forgetting everything just for a moment, he kissed back.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9: Let's get back to L.A!

* * *

"Three days after the last events"

Wesley was sitting in the lobby with an obscure demonology book on K're'tech demons on his lap and a cup of tea waiting on the little table to his right. He was basking happily in the silence for the first time in three days, three days which had felt like pure hell on earth. Everyone was now in his or her bedroom, after Giles had finally emerged from his drunken state this morning, and her highness Buffy had came back from her two days killing spree. She had not been there for five minutes, when Giles had come in the lobby, freshly showered and shaved with Drusilla on his tail, babbling about some pretty tree, when Buffy had begun to shout orders at the older watcher, which then led to a screaming match between her, Giles and surprisingly, Dru. After an hour, Drusilla apparently decided to bash Buffy on the head with one of Angel's precious antiques, namely a fifty-pound Sumerian hammer. She had dropped stone cold on the floor, to the watcher's horror, and had not woken up since then. After Angel took care of the urgent call the powers had sent him, Angel had locked himself in his room for more than a day, before getting back to work after Cordelia had another vision. Fred had been Fred, and Gun had been at Fred's side or with his friends, and Faith, being the only sane senior slayer left, had taken the junior Slayers patrolling, or had them training. She made sure that the streets of L.A were demon-free, only asking Wes for some tips on Klug'g'g demons and the way to kill them.

A light hand on his shoulder and a cold body, taking place beside him, made Wes turn his eyes from his book, to look into the dark brown ones of Drusilla. She had taken place on the couch cuddling him lightly, her children at her feet, purring like giant cats.

"Hunter?" she asked with a childish voice.

"Yes?" inquired Wes.

"We need to talk, Hunter, it's important! It's about Daddy and the nasty slayer," She said with a disturbingly almost sane expression.

"What about Angel?" he answered in his best watcher voice, and Dru chuckled lightly.

"Not the Slayer?"

"I don't care what is going to happened to that bottle blonde, Angel on the other hand is my friend."

"The stars have talked to me and they said that you and Daddy have a destiny!"

"Of course Angel has a destiny, he must redeem his sins and save his soul, until his shanshu-"

"No, no, no, the stars sing that the oracles are liars, they promise Shanshu but they send Daddy to death. They gave him nasty surprises, they Raised grand-mum from her ashes, and made her give a baby to Daddy. A baby born damned, who tried to kill Daddy. They wanted him insane and for that they brought the old Christian hunter. He wanted vengeance so badly; you could have tasted it! He took the baby and you helped him, Hunter. The Powers that be with the Wolf, Ram, and Heart made sure that you brought the child to him, by tricking you with a false prophecy. They don't want a safe world; they want a world of pure light, like the Wolf, ram and heart want a world of pure darkness, but that kind of world can't exist, not without killing life itself! They made an alliance to trick Daddy again by giving him the bad Wolf Californian division, to shut you all away from the fight. Daddy wanted his little baby child to be happy so much, for him to have a normal life like every normal human child, that he sold himself and your memories of the events who brought Connor to life, for that. And once again, the Power that be lead the dance, they have done that since the moment they made Darla give the gypsy girl to Daddy. They don't want the two of you to be able to accomplish your destinies." She continued to nuzzle his neck tenderly, sniffing to know his emotions and his state of mind. "The stars said to me that yours and Daddy destinies are behind the ocean, in the land of ancient magic, with my kitten and his new family. Your future mates are waiting for you there! But before that you must remember Hunter, because without those memories, you can't fully understand your future role in the game you are going to play; you can't understand what lives between the candle and the wall." And with that, she touched his head murmuring a low chant. Wesley cried out as all his memories came back at once, flooding his mind with images and sensations while Dru held him and her childer and purred, trying to help calm and soothe the distraught Watcher.

"What have I done, Merlin, what have I done?" he continued to ask in a never ending litany.

"What you were thinking was the right thing to do, Hunter. You had no other choice at that moment; all had been done to lead you to the conclusion that Daddy would kill his child. Your love for the child and your fear for my Daddy's well being were the keys to your actions. And you must forgive yourself for what happened because it was not your fault, nor was it Daddy's. You all were puppets in the hands of higher being," she said caressing his hair.

"How can Angel look at me every day and not want to kill me?" he asked in a sob.

"How can you forgive him, when he tried to kill you in your hospital room?" she answered

"I understood why he wanted me dead. His son, an innocent baby had been sent in a hell dimension because of me. I betrayed him, how could I not forgive him?" said Wes with a more calm voice, his tears silently rolling on his face.

"Well, don't you think that after Daddy began to think of what happened, with his mind not clouded by grieving thoughts, he could have seen that you only acted with Connor's well being in mind?" asked the vampiress looking at him. "If you could see it, why not him?"

"So, he gave me a guilt free life, and a sorrow free one to the others, but he has to grieve alone, with no one else to help him all this time..."

"Yes, Hunter, but now you remember, and now you can help him. You must convince him to close W&H, and to accept his new path." She said with a gentle smile, and she began to rock him again, letting him think on his own for a long moment, giving a tender smile to her beautiful boys, who were still purring, to help her.

When Wesley, began to talk again, it was to ask a question, because in all of Dru's speech, something was disturbing him. He could understand the PTB and W&H plans, he could see that he had been manipulated and he could begin to forgive himself, he could even understand that he and Angel needed to talk about what happened with Connor, they needed to make their peace. And, well, being part of a prophecy was something, which really disturbed him. After all, when you are part of the 'we safe the world' club, you are bound to be part of one of them once in your life, but…

"Mates, Dru?" asked Wes with disbelief in his voice.

"Yes, mates, one for you and one for Daddy! They are powerful, a dark protector and a badly hurting little snake," she said with a little voice, looking to Wes with sorrow in her eyes. While gesturing a move to make her children stop purring.

"Is …is my mate the hurting one?" question Wes to the vampire with an angel face. A strange feeling was beginning to grow in him, a little bit of fear for the man who could become his future husband eventually. Because, from what Dru had just said he was going to mate with a male, not that he had a preference when it came to gender. It had been a long time since is last male lover, not since his last year at Hogwart, when he had had a love affair with his head of house. They had wanted the story between them to continue after he had left school, but his father had put him in the hand of the council only a few hours after graduation. He just had had the time to send a letter explaining everything to his lover, before they took him to Cairo. He had loved since that time, but never another man, because he could not forget a pair of deep brown eyes full of love and lust, because no woman could compare to his proud Slytherin.

"I can't tell you; only the snake of light knows the truth when it comes to you and Daddy. He will tell you, when the time is right," she said with a look of understanding, she knew, but she could not tell; the time was not right. "But before that, you and I have to play a little game. We must make Daddy whole, and we must do it before Christmas. Miss Edith knows the ritual-" she was finishing in an almost sane tone, when the ex-watcher interrupted her.

"Dru, I'm not going to help you, restore Angelus, not even to please your bloody stars!" said Wesley with a very serious expression.

"I know that, Hunter, and the stars don't want Daddy back the way he was the last time. Beside, that thing was not my Daddy; it was a mad demon on a vengeance path. Angelus was caged for more then an hundred years, forced to endure the torments his soul was feeling for all he had done in his past, for what was just natural instinct. How do you expect him to be sane, well as sane as he had been before the curse. He was mad and he let my Spiky suffer in that well-chair so much, my sweet William was Daddy's favourite childe, My real Daddy would never have refused him his blood, not for healing purposes, never! No, we must do the ritual to merge Angel and Angelus together, to anchor the soul definitively or his union with his future mate can not happen!" said Dru, who was now sitting at the other end of the couch caressing her children, petting their heads lightly, and seeming as sane as Wesley himself for the first time since her turning.

"You want to merge them together?"

"Yes, we need them whole! Our family has a role to play and Daddy has a major part in it, but he can't do it, while fighting with himself," she answered.

"Dru, something has been bothering me since the beginning of this discussion. Would you answer just one question for me?" said Wes. She looked at him, before giving him a little node of agreement. "You seem as sane as me, almost like you must have been before Angelus turned you, how can it be?"

"When I was eleven, I received a letter attached to a pretty white owl." She answered with a smile.

"You were a witch?" concluded a stunned Wesley.

"Like you, and my kitten, and my sweet William! When my parents learned that I was a witch, they though that the devil was possessing me, that I was, like every witch, Satan's future bride. You see, we were very religious and my father, after reading Hogwarts missive, decided that I would not become a shame for our family. So, he put me in a convent until I was eighteen, then I would pronounce my vows. Angelus found me before that, I feared god, and it took only a look at Daddy's demon face to convince me that Satan had came to claim his bride. That tought and Angelus drove me insane quickly, so, when he turned me I choose not to fight the demon, after all I was damned since my eleventh birthday. My soul is weak and I can't take control over the demon for long, but I was a true seer and I could influence her. So, I began to talk to her, and soon my voice became the voice of the stars or the voice of Miss Edith when she would not listen to them. I will try to take control more often until the day of the ritual, but you must keep that secret," she said with a gentle smile, and Wes could see for the first time in more then an hundred years the woman she had been.

"Why keep it secret, Angel would be delighted!"

"Angel, yes, but Angelus would fight us, and we can't afford that if we want to be ready to make the ritual five days before Christmas," she answered with a serious look in her eyes. "Besides that, with the slayer walking on the path of madness, we can't be too prudent."

"Do you know what's happening to her?" asked Wesley.

"Too much power pressuring a body, which was not made to receive it!"

"The Squib theory?" asked Wes.

"Yes, we must find a way to drain a part of the power. So, the other slayers won't go to that point."

"And for her?"

"It's already too late, she has begun to break. She will die or become totally mad soon. If it comes to the latter, we will need to kill her or she's going to be a danger to us and the ones we would protect. The demon is starting to regain control now, I need to know if you are going to help me," she finished with an urgent tone.

"I will help you."

"You can trust my demon; she knows that our place is in England with you and Daddy. She also knows that we will merge, like Angel, eventually and she accepts it." After that last word, her calm face was replaced by the loonier one of the mad demon. She looked at him a moment, giggle and "You had a nice talk with the stars?"

"Yes,………, yes Dru, I had had an interesting talk with a shinning star." Answered Wes with a gentle voice, taking her body in his arms and keeping her there. It was his turn to rock and comfort the beautiful woman.

"Tomorrow the stars and Miss Edith will explain the ritual!" she said while falling asleep on him, drained by the energy the soul had consumed to talk with him.

"Yes, tomorrow!"

And at their feet, Riley and Graham began to purr once again, to soothe their mother and the man, she had instructed them to protect with their unlives.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10: About bonds and rescues!

* * *

let's get back to the kiss

"Spike!" yelled Lex in a breath before the eager and dreaming vampire repossessed his mouth. "Humpf," Lex was flying high; never had he been kissed like that before. Spike was the best kisser ever! The champion of the world, no, of the universe, no, the multi-verse dimension time thingy, ...oh god, he taste like the best of all Twinkies on earth?

Spike had been in the middle of one of his best Xander-fantasies, the one where he happily claimed his mate, when it began to feel real. For the first time, he could taste Xan on his lips; feel the sweetness of his skin, the warm body beneath his cold hands as he kissed and kissed the sweet mouth before moving next to his cheek, than following the line down Xan's beautiful jaw and neck to finally arrive at the pulsing point at the junction of his shoulder. He laved it a moment, extorting little moans from the gasping man in Xan's beautiful velvety voice as he felt the brunette moving slowly until he could sense the mouth of his mate matching his movement and sucking his jugular tenderly. Never had his dreams felt so intense, never had he felt his mate so ready. He began to purr, shifting to his game face at the same time, before finally sinking his fangs into the tender flesh, tasting the crimson nectar of pure Xan, marking him as his forever. At that moment, he opened his eyes for the first time as he felt his Dream-Xan biting down and drinking the coppery liquid, thus completing the mating circle and sealing the link between them. "Oh bloody hell, this isn't just another dream" thought Spike as he suddenly realised that his wish had come true. He'd just claimed Xan. For real. Severus was going to kill him.

At the same time, Lex could feel the changes taking place in him, his blood and muscles adjusting to make him stronger, to make him as immortal as his new mate, while transferring some of his own mortal proprieties to the vampire. His father would not have to make a potion for Spike's sunlight allergy after all. He remembered reading about the change process in one of Giles book, while he was searching for information on Angelus. Right after him and Buffy had danced their horizontal mambo. He could also remember reading something about a telepatik link but I was not sure, he would have to ask his Dad about that. A little bit later, he finally let go of his mate's jugular, to look into the blonde's eyes, seeing his own love reflected there. They stayed silent a long time, the first two words to escape them were "love you" and it was said in a whisper. It was like they were afraid to break the dreamy silence.

Unfortunately for them, Severus, who was not even aware of the special moment and was in quite a bad mood, flung open the door with a loud crash to find his son cuddling happily with William the Bloody, on the bed were the vamp a drag Lex when he had tried to awoke him earlier, a fresh claiming mark on his neck.

"ALEXANDER LAVELLE SNAPE! WILLIAM ACONITE MALFOY! What the hell do you think you're doing! William, what did we talk about this afternoon? Were you not supposed to ask me for Lex's hand first, before claiming him? And you Lex, what do you think you're doing, do you know what you have done, do you know that you're now part vampire. NOoooo! Of course no, you…," Severus stopped when he looked for the first time at the couple. They looked like two young children who had just been found with they're hand in a jar of cookies, but their love for each other was shining brightly, surrounding them with an aura of pure happiness. The other thing he could see was the laughing smile on Lex face. "What are you smiling at, Alexander?" he asked with suspicion.

Lex took a good look at his father, before he answered. "I'm smiling, because I know that you're happy for me, even if you are screaming now, and because you've just admitted that you and 'William', as you call him, had our joining planned at one point in time this afternoon. And also because what ever you say, you're happy that I found a mate who's worthy of your son this time and not some nutso, or ex-demon, or mad-slayer, and mostly because I'm one happy newly bonded consort and I love you daddy!" finished Lex with a huge grin before kissing Spike passionately.

"Insolent child," Severus sighed before he finally calmed himself, and smiled at his son. "One day Alexander, I will finally become truly annoyed by you calling me Daddy, and when that day comes you're going to find yourself transfigured into one of Hagrid blasted screwts. But you're right, he will be a good addition to the Snape family, although you will have to bond with him in the wizarding way as soon as possible, and he's going to take our name. You will not become a Malfoy, understood!" and that last sentence was obviously not matter for discussion!

"What? He's bloody well going to take my name, you..." interrupted Spike furiously; Spike was furious. Just what was wrong with his name, it was a proud name with a long heritage of pureblood tradition and his mate bloody well would have his name! Eyes flashing with anger, he started to protest when Severus cut him off with a sharp gesture. (OH god! That paragraph is perfect!)

"No, William, at this time, the Malfoy family is following the dark lord and I think that it's more secure if he ignores who you are for your, Lex and Dawn's sake. Beside that, the Snapes are the true heirs of Salazar Slytherin. And as one of the last heirs of the Slytherin line and of the four founders, Alexander can't let go of his name which for your information is Lord Alexander Lavelle Salazar Snape-Slytherin. I am currently Lord Severus Lente Salazar Snape-Slytherin, Dawn is Lady Dawn Margaret Salazarine Snape-Slytherin, and when you officially bond with Lex, you will become Lord William Aconite Malfoy-Snape-Slytherin." Severus stated with a tone he only used on the most imbecilic of the Gryffindor, while looking at his new son-in-law with determined iron eyes. And Spike could only nod at that argument. "Now, if you have finished, could you get out of that bed, we need to go fetch the Potter brat, and plan what I'm going to tell Dumbledore tomorrow morning. So let's go," finished Severus with an icy tone. "NOW!"

* * *

Same time 4 Privet Drive

Harry was once again relegated to his beloved cupboard under the stairs. The summer had been a living hell and his body hurt in places he never knew could hurt. Both his eyes were decorated in different shade of black and blue, and his left arm was broken when he failed to cook an egg mimosa like his Aunt wanted it done. He was now the proud owner of a lovely if not painful necklace made of bruises around his neck, thanks to Dudley's newest game called "Play with the Doggie", Harry being the doggie, of course. Dudley had bought a too small dog collar and leash set and would force Harry to wear it as he led him around the house, under the proud look of Vernon who encouraged him in his dressing attempts. He already had bruised, and broken ribs from his Uncle treatment earlier in the summer. He had lost so much weight that one could now see his bones under the translucent white of his skin. It had begun five minutes after his Uncle had picked him up at the station and for the first time in his short live, forced him in the trunk to made the trip to Privet drive, before throwing him in the closet, when they finally arrived home.

He had had his last decent meal that first night after they let him out and took him to the kitchen to wash the dishes. At first he had though that it was chicken, and he had eat it not knowing when the next meal would be. It was only when he had finished, that Aunt Petunia had came to fetch the plate, asking him if he had enjoy Hedwig as much as they had. It took him a couple of minute to fully understand that he had just eaten his beloved owl, before he emptied his stomach on his Aunt foot. A fact which had cost him a week without food and a blow to the head, which had broken his glasses. After that, everything became a reason to punish him, but tonight had been the last straw, and he could almost feel death at his door. He had been alone with Uncle Vernon, since Petunia and Dudley had left earlier for a sanatorium in Sussex, so Dudikins could loose his fat, thanks to their miracle cure. An hour later, the beast had come to him, and had taken him in the garden to see all of his belongings, his trunk, photo album and wand burned to ashes. Then he began to touch him in a way no uncle should touch his nephew. As Harry struggled vainly to deflect his Uncles disgusting attention and failed, he began to cry, before feeling some relief when he finally understood that his uncle wasn't going to go further since his most precious male parts stayed limp and uncooperative. His relief was short lived as his uncle flew into a murderous rage and began to kick and beat the defenseless boy. Dragging him back to his prison, his Uncle spotted a knife on the kitchen counter and in his rage, stabbed the Boy-Who-Lived in the chest, puncturing his lung before throwing him into the dark closet.

It was maybe ten minutes later, that Harry heard the sound of the doorbell ringing, and Vernon's footsteps. The door was opend, and he could hear his uncle screaming that he had had enough, and that no other freaks would come inside his house.

When he heard a freezing spell uttered and identified the sound of two or three people searching, for a brief moment he feared that it was a Death Eater attack, but after reflection even that was better then dying in a broom closet. He braced himself as he heard footsteps halt outside the locked door of his prison and a voice opened the door with a softly uttered Alahamora. Closing his eyes, he tensed as he waited to hear Avada Kedavra cast. When nothing happened, he opened them to look into the kindest brown eyes he had ever seen in his life.

Lex was looking at the saviour of the wizarding world with pity. After searching the different rooms throughout his designated part of the house, he had finally found the boy in the closet under the stairs. The poor child looked like a bloody rag doll, with eyes like two pools of emerald despair looking at him with resignation. "Hello, you must be Harry, I'm Lex, don't be afraid I'm here to help you child." He said with a gentle tone, before fetching three little bottles of potion in his robes. "Drink this Harry, you'll feel better after."

After Harry had drunk the offered potions and closed his eyes letting the sandman take him to a better world, reassured by the gentle presence of Lex.

At the same moment, his new protector healed him as much as he could and cleansed him, before calling for his mate and his father. It took them only seconds to find a white faced Lex, who was carrying a broken Harry in his arms like he was made of crystal, his eyes promising hell for the one who had harmed the child. "Father, would you be kind enough to wake up our host, I would like to know who has done that to Harry, and Spike, my love, can take care of them for me after that. I will be in the dungeons, attending to young mister Potter's injuries." His voice was cold, like the metal of a deadly blade, before he disappeared in a pop with his charge.

Severus took the time to give Mister Dursley a dose of veritaserum, before waking him up. He had been shocked by what he had seen a minute before, and had deduced, from the Uncle's earlier reaction, who was responsible for the child current state. He only had to ask a couple of questions to confirm that he was right, and he felt no culpability, when he left Vernon in the capable hands of a really pissed Spike. Severus knew that whatever you could say about his new son-in-law, there was one thing that the vampire had never done, and that was hurting a child.

By the look of the vampire right now, the demon was in charge and Harry's uncle was going to know why it earned the name Spike. After a last look at the living room, Severus departed to the kitchen and to make himself a cup of tea, while he waited for the new Snape to finish with the disgusting Muggle. It would be quite a while before that.

Severus was cleaning the last remains of his tea three hours later, when he could hear the screams diminishing and finally dying. He entered the living room to look one last time at the empty shell of one bloody and dying Vernon Dursley, before departing the house with a grinning Spike.

One had been punished tonight; the two others would pay later. William had made sure to write that prediction with Vernon's blood in gothic letters on the wall, taking his time to make his work of blood art.

* * *

Much later in the dungeons

"So, we agreed, this is how we're going to deal with this," said Lex, who was facing his Dad, while cuddling on the couch with Spike. He had put Harry in Spike's room, when he had arrived earlier and had finished healing him with Dawn's help soon after arriving. When he had been sure that the boy would sleep until morning, he had brought his mate's belongings to his own room. So, Harry could have the bedroom for himself, the child would probably want some privacy and since he and Spike were as good as married. That thought alone made him smile, yesterday he was asking himself how to seduce the damn vamp, and a letter and a dream had made all of his wishes come true. After that, he had waited for his Dad and mate to come back, falling asleep on the couch. Later Spike had woken him up, and had told him a revised version of what had happened to the uncle. Then they had discussed what to do with Harry and what to tell the old fool Dumbledore.

"Yes," said Severus "Tomorrow morning, I will make an 'altering DNA' potion for Harry, who's going to genetically become Dawn's twin brother and your son Lex. At the same time you will make a potion to alter his looks, we must do them at the same time and finish them at the same time if we want them to work. When that is done and Potter is changed, you and William will go to the ministry to be formally bonded, while I go see Dumbledore to tell him your husband will take the DADA Position, and your children will finish school here. If he asks questions about the twins, I will explain their age by telling him the story about a time-turner accident and you falling in love with their mother in the past. If everything goes as planned, we will take the time slowing potion after supper." After telling them that, Severus took his leave with slow steps and a glass of fire-wisky.

A moment later, Lex turned his head to ask Spike if he wanted to go to bed, only to find him sleeping deeply, a contented smile on his face. Not wanting to disturb his love, he summoned his comforter to cover them. As soon has the cover was put on his master, Draconis the comforter dragon began to purr and breathe little flames to keep them warm and cosy. Today had been long; full of joy and sorrow, but Lex had the feeling that tomorrow would be longer and full of surprises too.

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks to my sweet Cala for the beta'ing.

* * *

Chapter 11: The Famillia-Sangis-Conversio potion.

* * *

Early morning, the next day.

Harry was slowly waking up, and for the first since the beginning of the summer, he was feeling safe. He was in a soft warm bed, he was clean, and his wounds and broken ribs had been healed while he must have been asleep. A soft hand was lightly stroking his hair tenderly and a sweet feminine voice was singing a lullaby about a bird, a diamante and a pumpkin pie. It was feeling so much like what home should felt, that tears began to roll on his face. The hand left his head, and two slender arms found their way around him, a smaller body pressed himself against his back, and the voice shush him with reassuring words, telling him that he was safe now, that nobody was going to hurt him again, that Daddy, Papa, and Grand-daddy would make sure of that, and that he should go to sleep again, his body needed it. After a moment, the lullaby began again and he drift in a peaceful sleep were he had a family with a sister, two Daddies and a grand-father, not knowing that soon fantasy and reality would merge.

* * *

The night before.

Dawn had been waiting for her new family to come home for sometimes now, and she was still a little bit pissed at her Father and Grand-father. They had not wanted to let her come with them on the rescue mission, and she had had some long hours to plan revenge against them, they would see what the younger heir of the Slytheryn line was capable to do, be ware of Dawnster the great prankster! However, she almost succeeded to gain Spike at her cause, by using the most kicked puppy dog eyes the world had ever seen on him. But before she had had the time to have him agreed, her shiny new Dad came and told her to:

"Stop bothering your new Papa right now, you are not coming with us this time it's too dangerous! Now start apologising for the puppy dog eyes trick you've just pull on him and don't forget young snake who teach you that trick. Oh no, don't even bother to try the infamous Willow resolve face, it only work on me when it's applied by the original designer, nope missy, not gone work!". Just before hugging her and kissing her head.

After that he erupted in a mad grin, and she had only the time to ask what he had mean by 'Papa' and to hear his voice telling her that he and Spike were now legally matted by vampire lore and that they were going to tie the knot the wizzarding way, the next morning. Just before they all took the time potion, by the way did she want to be their grooms' maid? She never had the chance to answer that last question, because a second after he had finished, they were all gone to the apparition point accompanied by Spike mad laughter and the sound of her second mad snoopy dance of the day.

It took her half an hour to stop dancing, an hour to calm her heart which was banging like if a mad drummer boy on crack was playing on it, and an other one to begin to worry about the fact that they had not been back yet. She had made herself a cup of hot cocoa to feel better and some good Dardgeling from her grand-father hidden stash and put a warming charm on it to keep it warn for when the men would finally be back. Because even if she began her training the next, she had leave around two powerful earth witch for a couple of years and Tara had teach her some useful spells in case something happened, with the Hellmouth factor better be ready then sorry!

She was finishing her cup, when the door leading outside opened on her father. He was crying, while in the same time saying reassuring words to the bloody body he was carrying in his arms. When he finally saw her, he gave her a poor smile and asked her if she would transfer Spike's close in his room and prepare spike's room for their guest. Then she could come and help him heal Harry, they would be in her grand-father laboratory. She had done all that as fast as she could, then she had gone to help her Dad; she took only a look at the naked body of Harry, before she had to puck. She had never seen so much damage done to a human body, not even on Buffy's after her most apocalyptical battles. On the healing table was a vision of nightmare, and it took them more then an hour to dress all the wounds and heal the internal damages with spells and potions.

After that they put him in a bed with a dose of dreamless sleep potion, but the potion never worked and only a couple of minutes later his cries and screams could be heard from the living area. Her dad had gone and rocked the boy in his arms, while singing lightly, trying by that to shush his dreams. She had looked at them for a while standing by the door, feeling proud to have such a father and also feeling sorrow for the broken boy lost in his nightmares. After a little while she had joined them on the bed, putting her arms around Harry and joining her voice to the one already singing. And she sang, while caressing his head until he felt in a much lighter sleep. Before, she closed her own eyes and drift to sleep, feeling the light kiss given by her dad on her brow.

At two in the morning, a sound awoke her, and she realise that Spike and her Grand-daddy were finally back. For a long time, she listened to them while they talk about Harry and made decisions about what to do on the morning. Only, when she was sure that they all had gone to Morpheus kingdom, had she take the time to reflect on the event of this strange couple of days. In forty-eight hours, she had escaped Buffy's care with Spike, had learned first, that Joyce was really her mother, second, that she had the best father in the whole wild world. Her Xander, the one she always loved with all her earth, and it came with a bonus price, the most sarcastic Grand-father with the sweetest heart when it came to his family, she ever wanted. And now she was going to have a twin brother, it was a magically cooked one, but after all she had been magically cooked too! So, who cares?

She had the strangest family, but it was her own. And, oh, she almost forgot her new Papa William. The though of a tamed Spike smiling contritely to her stern Grand-dad, after forgetting for a moment that he was now supposed to act with dignity, made her smile and giggle lightly. No, he would never leave them now, he was her and Xan, and on that happy though she felt asleep with a smile on her lips.

* * *

The next morning, breakfast time.

It was two hours later, when Harry woke up for the second time, he had waited to make sure that the girl next to him was sleeping deeply the first time, and had fall asleep again without realising it. Strangely he was feeling secure in the girls arms, but after a time he decided to go explore his new home away from hell.

He got out of bed, without waking the lovely girl who had kept his nightmares at bay last night. He had only made two steps out of his room, when he encounter a very naked version of Malfoy. The naked blonde looked at him, before smiling and screaming.

"LEX, LEEEEEEEX, LEX, LEX, LEX, LEXY, sweetie come here pet. Your new pup's up! LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEX!"

And then he began to laugh as if he had just said the funniest thing ever. Harry was just beginning to realise that the block was really naked, when one of the other door of the room opened on someone he was not pleased to see right now. The lovely bane of his existence at Hogwarts, Severus Snape, potion master and pain in the ass extraordinaire, who looked pissed as hell.

"William, would you be kind enough not to scream and please go put some cloths on, before I get the urge to try my new experimental reducing potion on some of your beloved jewellery." Said his professor dryly, after taking one look at the scene in front of him.

"Nope! Can't!" answered the naked blonde with a corner smile.

"And, could you be kind enough to tell me why?" asked Snape, with the expression of someone who was really close to have a headache.

"Because your beloved son put them all in his room last night and when I woke up this morning, he had left after putting me in his bed, NAKED! And that BLOODY SPAWN OF A MA'A'GRA DEMON AND BUGS BUNNY ON STEROÏDES, on the painting of the dressing room refused me access to what he called his FUCKIN' CASTLE! So, I was currently looking for a knife to tear that loon to teeny tinny little beats, when I found the pup and screamed for Lex to come. And why the fuck isn't he here right now?" said the naked block, who's name was apparently William, with a melange of irritation and worry in his voice.

"Hum, the word on the fridge, said that he had been summoned by the old fool, and to not let Harry out of our quarters before he had the potion." Interrupt his pillow girl with a yawn. Before going first to William's side to hand him a pink bathrobe which was to short for him but managed to hide all the offending bites. After he passed it, he kissed her on the head and hugged her, then she made her way to Snape and hugged him to death, giving him a smacking kiss and a happy "Good morning Grand-daddy!". Harry was scarred for the girl, and took a step ready to defend her, but to his surprise the cranky wizard didn't try to kill the girl, he only returned the hug and smiled with tenderness to her.

Harry was left there looking like a crazy goldfish out of his water. He had watched the whole scene play with confusion. Who really was the naked guy named William, and how a girl could she make Severus Snape smile? But before everything else who was that lovely girl and why was she calling the professor 'Grand-daddy'?

* * *

It was in the middle of that strange scene that Lex chose to enter the room, a dark cloud floating above his head.

"What the hell is happening here? NO, no, don't tell me, I don't want to know! Dad, the old fool had just send aurors to Harry's house. Don't look at me like that he wanted me to go with them, I had to tell him that my husband and children had just arrived and that I could not let them just now, and he had to send a man cold Lupin or Lutin, something like that, let me tell you that he was not a happy camper. So, we running with the clock, everybody move your asses! Spike get dress, we need to go to the ministry now, Dawnie if you want to come with us hurry and get dress too, Dad the Famillia-Sangis-Conversio DNA potion needs to be finished for when we come back, could you also begin the other potions, I'll help you finished them later and you young man, get you butt back in your bed right now! You're in no conditions to be up and running." All that was said in one go, while Lex was crossing the room and collecting things that he would need later. After a good five minutes, when he saw that they were still in the same place gapping at him like a band of goldfishes, he saw fit to add a "MOVE!" before pushing Harry to his room, when he heard Spike asking him something. He stopped and turned his to look at his mate "What?"

"I said, love of my unlive, what's the BLOODY EFFIN PASSWORD FOR THE BLEEDIN DRESSING ROOM! Or do I need to tear that fuckin' painted knight in shreds." Repeat Spike with a snarl.

"Well, sorry husband mine, the password is white knight. It fits, don't you think?" said Lex with the most innocent smile he was capable of, before pushing Harry inside the room once again.

* * *

An hour later, at the ministry of magic.

The whole place was a mess, everybody was running like mad, since the news that the boy who lived had mysteriously disappeared, had been announced. You could hear the old fool ... hum, sorry, the honourable Albus Dumbledore, eyes twinkle less for once, using his most honeyed voice while the beloved Cornelius Fudge, great minister of magic, may he live forever, was screaming like a banshee, each trying to reject the fault on the other, for Harry disappearance . In the middle of all that nobody noticed a brown haired wizard hurrying a whit blonde one and a bouncing witch to the matrimonial department, on the six floors. Strangely the matrimonial hall was looking like a bad imitation of the most disgusting parody of Las Vegas chapel. For a moment, the two grooms almost expected to see Elvis himself bounce right in the front of them.

At the end of the hall, a very old witch was finishing the last words of the ceremony and two young witches kissed passionately, after that they shocked the priestress hand and left the hall passing just beside Dawn, who thought that they were really cute.

Just after they had stepped out, the hall became blinding white, until the boys took a step inside. Everything around them suddenly morphed to take the look of joy's summers garden in Sunnydale, the light began to dime to a lovely mix of deep gold and red. Little white flowers bloomed everywhere in the grass and you could hear a light music. Seeing that, Lex made a flick with is wand and dressed himself in his most beautiful Slytherin formal dress made of dark black-green velvet with the Slytherin emblem on his chest embroidered with black silk, at the same time Spike and Dawn had had the same ideas, and were wearing now dresses in a beautiful burgundy for the vampire and in a deep dark blue for Dawn.

When they finally arrived in front of the old lady, she smiled at them before asking them to extend their hands over the wedding certificate and with a beautiful ruby and silver dagger she cut their wrists lightly and let some blood drops fall on the paper before joining their hands together. Then she began to chant with a crystalline voice in a language so old that its translation had been lost in time. The song was hypnotic and while it progress to its end, the boys' wrist began to glow with a bright emerald light.

When the song was finished, the light began the become more and more solid, leaving on each of their wrists a cuff made of silver and emerald, and shaped like the Slytherin snake. After a couple of seconds, the snakes began to move around looking at the priestress with their emerald eyes, before biting in the hands of the boys, grafting themselves and fussing with their masters skins. It took another couple of minutes, before the stunned lady finally shook her head lightly and said that they were now husband and husband. Lex and Spike kissed passionately and they all left to go back to Hogwarts.

* * *

Same time, Severus's private lab.

"Another minute boiling, until it is creamy and lilac coloured. Yes, now I need to add the wild bear seed, steer counter clockwise three time, add the fairy hairs and the wild berries juice, three time clockwise, and for the final my, Lex's, Dawn's and Joyce's blood. I'm the Grand-father, so two drop of mine, Lex and Joyce are the parents so six drop from each, and Dawn is the twin sister so three drop and a half, now it can boil lightly for the next two hours and twenty-two minutes." Severus was finishing the DNA potion, unaware that Harry Potter had been sitting in a chair in the corner of the room for the better part of an hour.

Harry had first came to ask his professor what was going to happen to him now that he could not go back to the Dursley and that he would not be able to trust Dumbledore as far as he could throw the old loon, but Snape had been so absorbed by what he was doing that Harry hadn't dared to disturb him. He had found a chair and had began to wait, after sometime he had found himself fascinated by the way his professor worked, seeing for the first time how much potion was an art when it was done by a true master. He was still looking two hours later when Snape finished his last addition to the cauldron in front of him. After waiting ten more minutes to make sure that Snape would not begin another potion directly, he finally got up and asked.

"Professor Snape, may I ask you a question, please?"

Severus looked at the teen for the first time in his life without hostility, remembering his previous conversation with his son. Harry was not James and if everything went has planed; he would not even be a Potter, when the next morning comes. Well, if the boy would soon been his grand-son, he supposed that he could be a little bite less sarcastic with him and even try to be friendly.

"Mister Potter... Harry, I, we have decided last night that it was too dangerous for you to be with the Dursley or even in this school. So, after discussing our options, we've decided that we needed to hide you and if we can do it in front of everybody, it's even better. So, we have decided that I would made the Famillia-Sangis-Conversi potion, it's a potion to change you DNA, altering your appearance in the same time, for everyone you would be someone else, even the most advanced medical test could not prove that you had been Harry Potter once in your life time. After that, we will wait for a couple of months, before killing a clone of your body and left it somewhere to be found by the order members." Answer Severus with a calm voice, while directing Harry in the living room and the sofa.

"And who will I become professor?" asked the boy.

"You will become my grand-son, the son of my son; you have seen him this morning." Said the older man while forcing Harry to take a place in the sofa, beside him.

"The naked blonde?"

"No, no, the naked blonde is William; he is my son's husband. No, my son is the one with the dark long hair, his name his Alexander or Lex, he's a good man and a good father. You've met his daughter too, her name is Dawn, she's a sweet girl, and of course you would have me as grand-father. Oh, I know that it's not something that would excite you, nut before you decide to say no to this proposition, just listen to me for a minute. I've not been a good man or professor for you, and for that you have all my apologises. I was angry, so angry because of what your father and his friends had done to me, and by the fact that even if James was dead, he had won once more. You see, you were in Hogwarts parading and having friends, when my son could not be here with me, could not go in this school, it was irrational and I know it but ... I can only say one more time that I'm sorry. When the prophecy was know for the fist time, I had to sacrifice my life to protect yours, to become a spy and to send my son far away, which was what motived me to dislike you. So, if you agreed, I would like to make it even to you by being a good grand-father for you, please?" Severus had told his piece with a tremble in his voice and was now waiting for Harry's answer. The young man took his time, looking at the man before him for a long time and finally answered.

"I forgive you, I think that I can understand why you were like that, and I would be glad to disappear and to finally have a family. Now that I've agreed could you tell me how your son can be the father of a girl who seemed to be only five or six year older then her? If I'm family, it would be better if I knew." Finished Harry, with an intrigued expression on his face.

And Severus began to tell Harry, all about his life, his son's life, a girl named Dawn, a vampire named Spike, a Slayer, a Watcher, two Witches, a Key, a chaos Mage, a Hellmouth and a beautiful woman named Joyce.

"...and when you take the potion and are legally a Snape, we will simply tell Albus that Lex had an accident with a time turner some years ago, let say when he was fifteen. When he was supposedly in the past, he met Joyce who was still married but unhappy and helps him, they felt in love and had intercourse. So, when he came back in the present, he seeked her and when he understood that Dawn and you were his children, he asked her to move to Sunnydale so he could take care of his children magical education. She agreed and they became friends once again, until the day she died. Of course they never told anybody that he was your and Dawn's father, after the Hellmouth closed Lex decided to come see his father to ask him if he and his family could come to leave with him at Hogwarts. So, we decided to first ask Albus if he could be my apprentice, before we would present Spike aka William's candidature for the DADA position and for you and your sister to finish your schooling here. It would be no problem since Lex and I made sure to be really vague and to tell the old coot little as possible on Lex's life before he came here." Severus was finishing telling Harry the plan, when the door opens on a really happy couple and a grinning Dawn.

"Hello Daddy, let me present you my dear husband William Aconite Malfoy Snape-Slytherin!" sing-songed Lex while looking with love at his very own Vamp.

"Oh joy! And Lex, call me Daddy one more time and I'll find a way to feed you a male pregnancy potion, just imagine your self without your cock and with a shinning new vagina! Did I made myself clear young man!" answered sarcastically Severus, while looking at his son with fondness.

"I'll never do it again, I promise DADDY! Well, let's stop kidding for a moment; I think that Dumbledore will be finished at the Ministry in a no long now. So, is the potion ready, did Harry agreed and are we ready to proceed?" asked Lex in a rush, while he took place in a chair with Will beside him and Dawn decided to spoon a very red Harry on the couch.

Seeing Harry becoming red as a tomato, Dawn smiled and decided to tease him, while her grand-dad was busy fetching the potion.

"Don't fret sweetie, your going to be my twin in less the five minutes and I always wanted a little brother I could cuddle. I think that I've been a really good girl lately since, Santa bring my present early this years." And she kissed him strongly on the cheek. By that time Severus was back and was giving a silver cup filled with fuming liquid to Harry. He told him to drink it in one go, but that before that he needed to take a couple of vials of blood. It only took two minutes and Harry drank the potion, after that he began to tremble and deep green light recovered his body. He stayed in that cocoon of light for a little bite more then forty minutes while the Snape family members were waiting patiently for the potion to finish its work.

When the light finally receded, they could all see a young man with Lex's deep brown hair and Dawn hazel eyes he was two inches taller then Dawn, but beside that he was a masculine version of the girl beside him. He was as beautiful as new sister and was now a Snape. Severus took a drop of his blood to put on his new birth certificate and let Lex sign it before it was magically send to ministry archive. They were going to eat their diner, after Harry had change in some of Lex's close because his were to little for him now, when someone bang at the hall door. It was a very calm potion master who opened it on a dishevelled headmaster, who forced the door and made his way inside.

"Albus, what can I do for you?" asked Severus with a half smile.

"Harry, had vanished, we can seamed to find him not even with the strongest tracking spells. You need too..." at that moment the old man saw that they were not alone for the first time and tried to recomposed himself. "... Sorry, I didn't realise that you and Alexander were not alone." Looking at the blonde man and the two adolescents sitting at the table.

"Yes, this is Alexander's family, we were planning to come and see you tomorrow morning, since they only arrived tonight. This is William, he is Lex's husband and we were hoping that you would agreed to consider his candidature as DADA teacher, and those two are Lex's children," Albus send Severus a questioning look, after considering the children's age. " time turner accident, I'll explain!" answered Sev, before continuing " as I was saying these are my grand children Dawn and Nox Snape, who are going to attempt this year at Hogwarts.

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End file.
